All I Need
by Temptress-Kitten17
Summary: What if Caroline wasn't asleep on the couch during Elena and Damon's conversation in Episode 2-05? What if Elena goes back to Stefan and sees Caroline already comforting him? DELENA.
1. Chapter 1: The Discovery

All I Need

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I think it's safe to say that if I did, Damon and Elena would have given into their feelings at the end of Season 2, episode 1.

Chapter 1: Discovery

Elena turned toward the door, ready to make her way home and collapse onto her bed. She was exhausted after the struggle with Mason Lockwood earlier and his attempts to keep her and Caroline from saving the Salvatore brothers from getting killed. She'd been terrified when she'd seen them both lying on the ground, bloody from the many bullets Caroline's mother had fired into both Damon and Stefan; though Damon was the worst. Elena had to steel herself against showing too much concern for him, considering she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. Besides, there hadn't been time, because Liz had turned on her, gun aimed at her chest. Caroline rushed in and killed one of the officers without a thought, blood smeared all over her face, and Liz couldn't bear the thought of what had happened to her child. She'd told Damon to kill her, and for a second it looked like she would get her wish. Elena knew he was capable of it; she'd seen that dark side of him emerge too many times to doubt her fears now. But as she'd shouted for him not to do it, he'd practically rolled his eyes. "You're my friend," he'd said softly to Liz, and then he'd told her that he would make sure she forgot everything. A flutter of hope stirred inside Elena that the friend she'd known and cared about, was still alive. Katherine hadn't killed the good in Damon's heart after all. What this meant for Elena's own heart, however, was still confusing to her and it didn't help that she was feeling a distance between her and Stefan. Ever since he'd fed off of her and become addicted to human blood, their relationship had hit a downward spiral. He was so timid with her now; afraid of getting too close, and using everything from Katherine to Caroline's recent change to keep some sense of distance between them. He'd spent an entire day with Caroline, teaching her how to control her baser instincts; while Elena had done everything she could to resist Damon. It had been more difficult than she'd ever let on, for just his close proximity to her could send erotic images unbidden into her thoughts. She was very glad he couldn't read her mind; otherwise he'd have known she was lying when she'd told him he'd lost her forever. She'd thought she was doing the right thing, turning him down flat had hurt her as much as him, but she was with Stefan. She couldn't just leave him for his brother. She wouldn't be like Katherine and play them against each other, and she knew she'd had to choose. So she had. She'd chosen Stefan and she was happy with that choice. He was safer. Or so she'd thought, until she'd learned he'd spent the day before torturing Katherine. _AND_ before he'd decided that maybe he should drink human blood after all, because maybe then he could control himself. Elena had hated that idea, naturally. She needed only to picture the bloodlust in his eyes when he'd attacked her in her room. When she'd had to stab him with the vial of vervain, she'd known just how dangerous that side of him was. She'd been truly terrified of him during that time. And now he wanted to _try_ and control himself. Elena was disgusted with him for not even considering how she'd feel. She'd stormed out of the room, ignoring Caroline's questioning stare as she passed. She didn't see the blonde vampire turn toward the room Elena had just left; she was too focused on leaving the boarding house. She didn't get far.

Damon appeared in front of her, as he had an annoying tendency to do, and immediately her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of him. She placed her finger to her lips, speaking with her eyes that she wanted to keep her departure quiet.

"I left Caroline with Stefan," she said calmly.

"I heard," Damon whispered, gazing at her with those penetrating eyes that unnerved her more than she was willing to admit. "And you?" he asked.

Elena sighed, knowing that staying would be a very bad idea. Not just because she was angry with Stefan, but because Damon's actions today reminded her why she cared about him in the first place.

"I'm going home." She moved past him toward the door, but paused at the heavy wooden frame. She turned to look back at him; her expression instantly softening. "What you did for Caroline's mom, that's the Damon who was my friend." She turned to leave again.

Damon stared after her, wondering if perhaps their friendship hadn't been lost after all. True, she said she didn't want him. He knew as well as she did that she was lying, but she wasn't going to admit it any time soon. In the meantime, however, he'd felt what it was like to not have her in his life and it was a far worse torture than simply having her as a friend. If that meant he had to let her be with his brother, then so be it.

"Just so you know, Stefan didn't drink the people blood. But he needs to, and I think you know that, too."

Elena looked back at him, thanking him with her eyes. Then she turned around and walked past him; back to Stefan. Damon watched her go, a haunted expression of pain in his ice blue eyes. He then turned toward the door. He needed a drink badly, and the house was just a little too crowded at the moment for him to enjoy his own liquor supply. His car had almost pulled out of the long driveway when he heard Elena's cry of pain.

A few minutes earlier….

Stefan placed his head in his hands and sighed in frustration. How was he going to make Elena see that he needed to build up a tolerance to human blood, that it was the only way to defeat Katherine? His brooding thoughts were interrupted as he felt another presence in the room. He looked up, expecting Elena to be standing in the doorway, ready to apologize, just as she always did. The girl stepped cautiously into the room, a small smile of understanding painted across her lips, but she wasn't Elena.

"Hey," he rasped, giving her a small smile of his own.

"How are you holding up?" Caroline asked softly as she slowly approached him, her small hand unconsciously moving to touch his hunched shoulders. He didn't shrug her off, and she sank down beside him on the sofa.

"I should be asking you that," he replied. "I heard what your mom said. She didn't mean it, you know." He looked up at her, trying to reassure her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yes, she did." Caroline sighed. "And you're a terrible liar," she added.

Stefan lowered his gaze and stared at his hands. "Sorry," he whispered.

Caroline smiled softly and placed her hand over his. "It's okay," she said. "You were only trying to make me feel better."

Stefan turned to meet her soft gaze. "You're lucky, you know," he admitted. "At least Damon will be able to compel your mom to forget everything."

Caroline shook her head. "I don't think I'm that lucky," she admitted, drawing in a shuddering breath in an effort to keep her emotions in check. She seemed to have to do that a lot lately, now that she was a vampire and everything was more intense. "Mom never really approved of me that much when I was human, but I at least thought she'd loved me. Tonight, I found out that she really didn't. She found out what I am, and she looked at me like I was a monster. She wanted to die, rather than be my mom, but she's okay with having Damon compel her to forget. She'd rather go back to the secrets than get to know me." A small tear managed to free itself from her eyes and trickle down her cheek. Stefan stared at the broken young woman beside him. He hadn't realized until now just how vulnerable Caroline was, and just how much he wanted to protect her. His fingers moved, as if they had a mind of their own, to brush the tear away from her cheek. Their eyes locked, and Stefan found himself telling her something he'd never thought he'd share with her.

"My father tried to kill me, when I came back," he admitted. "I tried to get him to accept me, to let me explain that nothing was going to change. I was prepared to die that night, but I wanted to say goodbye, and he attacked me without even thinking about it."

Caroline's eyes widened in shock, but she let him finish. His hand was still unconsciously brushing against her cheek in a soft caress. She wasn't even sure if he was aware he was doing it. He continued his story, the pain in his voice evident as he spoke. "I didn't know my own strength, and I fought him off, still hoping I could reason with him. But, there was a lot of blood, and he was dying. I….I couldn't help myself." He let out a small sound, almost a sob and Caroline placed a finger to his lips, her eyes full of concern and unshed tears. Nothing more needed to be said; she knew what had happened next. Knew of the guilt he must have felt, must feel still, over his father's death. She didn't know what was happening between them at the moment, but it was as if an invisible force had her moving toward him, slipping her arms around his shoulders in a comforting embrace. He leaned into her, letting her pull him closer. They held each other for what seemed like hours but were only a few minutes. And then she realized what she was doing, and tried to pull away. He gripped tighter, leaning his face up toward hers, staring back into her eyes. And then she was leaning back, and he was hovering over her, his tear stained cheeks matching her own. He placed the softest kiss against her lips; the tenderest one she'd ever experienced. She shivered involuntarily, her emotions getting the better of her again, and her hands slipped into his hair to pull him closer. He drew her down to the cushions, his fingers tentatively stroking down her neck as he deepened their kiss. They were so lost in the sensations that even with their heightened sense of hearing, they didn't hear the footsteps coming from down the hall. It was only when Stefan's hands had trailed down to slip under Caroline's shirt that they finally heard the sharp gasp from behind them. They immediately turned to see the pained dark eyes, full of angry tears.

"Oh my god!" Elena cried, pain warring with fury.

Stefan got up and smoothed out his hair as Caroline attempted to adjust her top that had ridden up almost to her breasts. "Elena, I can explain," Stefan said calmly.

Caroline just looked away, guilt written all over her face, as Elena let out a strangled cry of raw emotion. "Go ahead, Stefan, EXPLAIN!" She cried. "I'd love to know why I just walked in on you and…." She paused, and Caroline felt Elena's eyes on her. If looks could kill, she'd be a pile of ashes.

"I should go…" Caroline murmured, turning toward the door. Elena's glare stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't you fucking move," she hissed.

Despite her newfound vampire strength, Caroline was terrified to disobey and mutely stood there, waiting for her friend's wrath. Elena laughed bitterly. "I should have expected this, after all it's not the first time you've gone after something of mine." Caroline winced, but kept silent.

"Elena," Stefan tried again, but she cut him off with a glare so menacing, he was certain she was burning him.

"Don't. You. Defend. HER." Elena growled. She turned back to Caroline. "Was it not enough to go after Matt, you had to go after Stefan too? Who's next, Caroline? Are you going to go after Damon? Oh wait," she chuckled darkly, "you already did. Well I suppose now that I actually care, you might just decide to go for round two, am I right?"

This time it was Stefan's turn to wince, but Elena didn't care. He deserved to suffer. "That's right," she said, turning on him. "Damon wasn't imagining it; there _is_ something between us. And I was just such an _idiot_ that I turned him down because I actually felt guilty!" She shook her head, a bitter smile on her lips. "Had I known _this_ was going to happen, I would have let him kiss me in my room that night. I wouldn't have fought him off, and I wouldn't have lied to him for _you_." Stefan simply looked down at the floor, knowing he deserved her harsh words. He knew his betrayal had hurt her. Elena wasn't finished, however. "Look at me, you coward," she growled. He met her gaze, and was terrified by the fire smoldering in her eyes. The look she gave him, full of contempt and hatred, hurt more than what she said next. "Had I known everything, I would have let Damon take me right then. I would have wrapped my legs around his hips, and I would have _never_ looked back!" She let out a strangled sound between a bitter laugh and a painful sob. "I can't believe I EVER thought you were the better choice!" She turned on her heel then, giving the two of them one last look of cold hatred, and stormed out. Tears clouded her vision as she ran; her heart feeling like it might shatter. She hardly noticed the pain as she suddenly slammed into a hard, muscular body.

"Elena?" Damon gasped, his arms instinctively coming around her small frame.

"Damon," she sobbed into his chest.

He pulled her away just enough to lift her chin up to meet his gaze. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face was stained with tears, and she had the most pained expression he'd ever seen on her beautiful face. "What happened?" he asked her, softly stroking away the tears that kept falling down her cheeks.

"Just….Just get me out of here," she pleaded. "Now!"

"Okay, I'll take you home," he said, sensing the urgency in her voice.

She shook her head. "No!" she cried. "I can't…I don't….just take me away. Anywhere. I don't care, just…please?" she whispered the last word and Damon's jaw tightened. If Stefan had done something to hurt her…but he couldn't think about that right now. He would deal with his brother later. Right now, Elena needed him. He nodded. "Okay," he agreed. And without a glance back, he led Elena out to his car, her arms still wrapped tightly around his waist.

Author's Note: It's been a long time since I've been inspired enough to write. Hope I still know what I'm doing. I promise there will be steamy DELANA in future so stay tuned. And please review. My muse needs to be fed to be kept happy ;)


	2. Chapter 2: Comfort

Author's note: Oh my god, thank you to everyone who reviewed. I seriously couldn't believe how many messages were waiting for me when I checked my Blackberry this afternoon. I am seriously thrilled that you all loved my first chapter so much; especially since I haven't written a story in well over two years ever since I met my own bad-boy and fell head over heels in love. I didn't even realize just how much I missed writing until I saw all your words of encouragement, so thank you. You all just reminded me why I loved writing so much in the first place! So to reward you, I got straight to work on this chapter. And since some of you told me you liked the Stefan/Caroline scenes, I decided to keep that aspect in my story. They are sort of fun to write, though my first love will always be Damon and Elena! Can't wait to hear what you guys think!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; I'm just playing with them for a while.

This chapter contains lemon sprinkles in Damon's car. Consider it a reward for all who sent me rave reviews.

Chapter 2: Comfort

As soon as Elena left, Stefan sank to the floor, utterly defeated, and buried his head in his hands. He'd finally done it; he thought bitterly. He'd hurt Elena enough to drive her right into his brother's arms. Unlike the misunderstanding last year when she'd fled with Damon to Georgia, however, this time she wouldn't be coming back. He'd known that the second she'd walked out of there, and he'd strained his ears to listen for the sound of the door slamming. It never came. Instead, he'd heard her pleas for Damon to take her away. It brought the memories flooding back to him from that first time. Elena hadn't wanted to speak to him; stinging from his betrayal. He hadn't told her the whole truth about Katherine, and when she'd found the picture in his room, she had left without a word. He hadn't even known she was gone until he'd come back upstairs and spotted the necklace lying on top of the photo, and he'd prayed it wouldn't be too late to get her back. She had come back to him, fortunately, but something had changed. He'd seen her looking tenderly toward Damon; sharing smiles with _him_. She even laughed when Damon was around her; something she hardly ever had done around him. Stefan let out a low growl. Damon was going to win this time, and he had no one to blame but himself. He'd driven Elena into his brother's arms the moment he'd lost control of himself and taken his first sip of her blood. That had been the beginning of the end; when he'd given her a reason to fear him, and Damon had been there to help her.

He had completely forgotten that he wasn't alone; until he heard tentative footsteps approach him. He glanced up, unashamed to reveal his tear-streaked face. She was trembling as she attempted to blink away her own tears, wringing her hands almost painfully. He could tell in her hesitant movements that she wasn't sure whether she should be around him after what had just happened. He gave a reassuring smile and she returned it; sinking down to the floor beside him. She reached out, tentatively placing a hand on his arm, and was surprised when he moved to place his hand over hers; squeezing it gently.

"I…I've never seen anything…" she started, her tongue fumbling over her words. " She was so…"

Many words were coming to mind; furious, murderous, harsh, it was impossible to list them all. Elena had been terrifying in her anger; probably even worse than she'd seen with Katherine after she'd failed to keep Elena distracted and away from Stefan while she'd played her game of cat and mouse with him. Yes, Katherine had been angry, but that was _nothing_ compared to the fury she'd just witnessed in Elena. She shivered at the memory of those eyes on her. Stefan must have sensed her fear, but he merely nodded. "I know," he said.

"What she said," Caroline chewed her lip worriedly. "She's never going to forgive me." She let a curtain of blonde hair fall forward to hide her face as she let her chin drop; ashamed now of what she'd done.

Stefan laughed bitterly. "Believe me; she'll probably get over _your_ betrayal before she gets over mine. That is, _if_ she ever gets over it."

Caroline's eyes widened in shock, "Don't say that," she said quickly. "Elena loves you! _Of course_ she'll get over it. I mean, you guys have been through so much together; and I was just being stupid and selfish like always. This isn't totally your fault, you know." She gave him a small, teasing smile. "_I'm_ the screw up; you can't take that title away from me."

Stefan laughed at that, in spite of himself. She really was a sweet girl; he wondered how he'd never noticed that while she'd been human. He'd been so worried that she wouldn't be able to handle the change; that she would have become unstable, but she hadn't. All things considered, she'd taken to the life a lot better than he'd expected. And she hadn't lost her compassion. He could tell that she wasn't just trying to make him feel better; she truly did care about him.

Caroline noticed the smile fade from his lips as he continued to stare up at her. She could see the hurt still in his eyes and wanted so badly to hold him to her again. Instead, her hand came up to touch his cheek. "Hey," she whispered. "Elena _will_ forgive you. I've known her a long time and I know she's just hurt right now. But it'll be okay again. She _will_ come back."

Stefan didn't break their eye contact, and his own hand reached up to take hers; stroking the soft skin of her wrist. "No," he replied. "She might eventually get over it, but she's not coming back. I've lost her." Without another word, he fell brokenly into Caroline's arms. She hugged him tightly, stroking his hair soothingly; wishing she could take away his pain.

The second Damon had settled Elena into the passenger seat of his blue Camaro, she had closed her eyes and drawn in a shuddering breath; refusing to say another word. He desperately wanted to know what had happened after he'd left, but Elena didn't look like she was anywhere near ready to relive whatever it was. He couldn't take the silence as the car made its way out of Mystic Falls, however, and after a few more long and agonizing minutes, he turned to look at her. She was staring blankly out the window; barely moving. He sighed, realizing that he would have to be the one to break the silence.

"So," he began, trying to keep a light and casual tone in his voice. "Anywhere in particular you want to go?"

Elena nearly jumped at the sound of his voice; startled out of her trance-like state. She turned her head to look at him. His smile was easygoing, but she could see the concern in his eyes, and it took all she had not to thrown herself into his arms and let him hold her. She had to remind herself that, vampire reflexes or not, she didn't want to risk causing him to drive off the road. There would be time enough for her to feel his arms wrap tightly around her; to soothe her aching heart and finally give in to the _something_ that was between them. For the moment, she would control herself.

"I seriously don't care," she said flatly without emotion. "I just want to get out of Mystic Falls; the sooner, the better."

Damon furrowed his brow. "Okay," he said cautiously. A part of him was leaping for joy at the thought of once more taking a road trip with Elena; just the two of them. However, there was a nagging voice in his head, one that he really wanted to tell to go to hell. It was persistent, however, and he inwardly rolled his eyes at it, beginning to turn the car around. Elena's head immediately lifted up again and she pierced him with her eyes. "What the hell?" she demanded as she noticed he intended to take her back into town.

Damon sighed. "Look, we can't just take off without telling anyone. What would Jenna and Jeremy think? Considering everything that's happened since Katherine's come back, don't you think you owe it to your family to let them know where you're going?"

Elena muttered something under her breath that would have been impossible to hear had he merely been human. Damon chuckled. "Of course you care," he told her. She shrugged her shoulders in indifference. He sighed, pulling the car over to the side of the road and killing the engine. He turned his body to face her completely, and she met his gaze immediately. The defiance was still there in the look she was giving him, but he kept his eyes soft and understanding. "I know you're upset right now, but you don't want your family to worry all night." She didn't answer. He sighed and reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out his phone, handing it out to her. "Look, if you're that serious about leaving, I'll take you wherever you want to go, but just do me this one favor and call your brother at least? Let him know you're okay? He's been through enough without thinking something's happened to you, too." Elena sighed and took the phone from him, quickly dialing Jeremy's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"What do _you_ want?" he growled.

"Jeremy, it's me," Elena said quickly.

"Elena?" Jeremy said in surprise. "Why do you have Damon's phone?"

"Listen," Elena said, ignoring his question. "I have to get out of here for a while. I don't know how long, but I need time to clear my head. Tell Aunt Jenna not to worry; I'm safe."

"Where are you? Why are you with Damon? Elena, what's going on?" Jeremy sounded so worried.

"I'll be okay," she reassured him. "Listen, I have to go, but I want you to do me a favor okay? Don't mention any of this to anyone else. Not even Aunt Jenna. Just tell her I've gone out of town to clear my head. Don't mention Damon, and whatever you do, you can't let this get back to Stefan. I don't want him to come looking for me."

"O-okay…" Jeremy said, "I won't say anything. But please, can you just tell me what's going on?"

"No," Elena said. "I'll explain everything when I get back, but for now the less you know, the better. I love you Jer." She hung up quickly before he could say anything more, and handed the phone back to Damon. "Happy now?" she asked. He shrugged. "You could have been a little more honest with him, but I guess as long as he knows you're not dead in a ditch somewhere…"

"Yeah, well now he knows I'm not, so can we please just get out of here now?" she interrupted.

Damon was taken aback by her forcefulness. Something had seriously pissed Elena off, and she wasn't thinking clearly at all. Just what the hell had happened between her and Stefan tonight? She pressed her lips together, running her hands through her hair and sighing impatiently. She was even tapping her foot; if she wasn't so angry he would have teased her about it. She was so cute when she was annoyed, after all. He didn't dare tease her though. He was about to start up the car again when he suddenly felt her small hand brush against his arm. He shivered at the light touch, and turned his head to focus on her again. She had shifted so that her body was as close to his as she could get without leaving her seat, and her eyes were completely focused on his face.

"Thank you," she said softly. He stared at her; at a sudden loss for words. Then her lashes lowered, and he could feel the heat of her gaze focusing on his mouth. He licked his lips; more from nervousness than anticipation. Elena lifted her eyes to meet his, and Damon felt shocks of electricity shoot through him. She apparently felt it too, because her heart was now pounding in her chest as she leaned into him; slowly sliding her hands up to stroke the back of his neck. Their eyes fluttered shut and her lips softly touched his. It was a mirror image of the kiss outside her house; except that this time it was real. He stroked her face as she gently pressed his lower lip between hers and pressed herself closer; a difficult task considering they were in his cramped car. One leg slid over his and suddenly she was straddling him; her back pressing almost painfully into the steering wheel. She didn't even notice; too focused on relieving the pressure-ache that had started between her legs the moment she'd started kissing him. Somehow Damon managed to turn them both so that she was now lying across both leather seats and he was hovering over her, one leg between hers. He moved his lips to the corner of her jaw; nuzzling her there before trailing hungry kisses down her neck to her chest. He could hear the rapid pulse beating in her throat, but he steeled himself against its siren song and continued to focus on bringing her pleasure. He could smell her arousal growing stronger with every brush of his lips, and pressed his thigh into her with a deliberate pressure just where he knew she needed it.

Elena was in heaven. She moaned softly as his lips found her breasts and he suckled her over the fabric of her shirt and bra. When he bit down gently on her hardened nipple, she nearly jumped up at the sensation. She'd known he was good; she just hadn't known he was _this_ good.

"Damon," she cried, writhing against him. She pressed herself against him as hard as she could; practically grinding into his thigh. It wasn't enough, she needed more. Without even thinking about it, she grasped the hand that was stroking the side of her waist and moved it to the front of her jeans. Damon needed no further encouragement and Elena inhaled sharply as his fingers slipped down to cup her through the damp material before sliding up quickly to pop open the button and slip his hand into her panties. Slowly he began to explore; stroking softly between her wet folds and finding the tight bundle of nerves that caused her to cry out his name again. She could feel every one of her muscles tense up as he continued to stroke that spot with maddening skill. She couldn't do anything more than inhale short little gasps of air as he worked her body to a fever pitch. Her thighs were trembling, gripping his hips tightly and locking his hand tightly against her. She was vaguely aware of her nails digging into his shoulder as her hand had slipped from its place at his neck. His head had lifted from her chest and his eyes locked onto her face.

"Elena," he said. His voice was barely above a whisper and heavy with lust. "Look at me."

As she slowly opened her eyes to meet his, he slipped one of his fingers inside her, pressing his thumb in slow circles against her pulsing clit. "Come for me," he whispered, sending shocks of pleasure through her with every stroke of his expert fingers. She couldn't possibly do anything less. With one final cry, her body locked up and she shook violently beneath him. Damon leaned down and quickly captured her lips in a passionate kiss; his hand still softly stroking between her thighs as she rode out the powerful orgasm he'd just given her. After a few minutes, he felt her body start to go limp and drew his hand back up to rest at her side.

Elena could do nothing more than nuzzle into him as he softly stroked her hair and waited for his own ardor to cool. He really hadn't intended to take the kiss that far, at least not tonight, but Elena had this way of making him lose control around her. She'd been so responsive, so passionate, that he couldn't seem to pull away. It had taken everything he had to resist the temptation to just take her right there on the leather seats, but he knew she deserved better than that. He also knew that she was still angry with his brother, and he wasn't willing to let their first time be about revenge. Slowly he started to sit up, gently shifting Elena back into her own seat. She was still breathing heavily, but her eyelids had fallen shut again. He could tell she was exhausted and before he could even button her jeans up for her, she had fallen asleep. He smiled softly at the sleeping girl beside him and tenderly brushed the tangled hair away from her face. In her sleep she sighed his name and leaned into his touch, snuggling closer to his side. Damon slipped his arm around her, making sure that she was comfortable, before he started up the car again.


	3. Chapter 3: Confessions

Author's note: Sorry I'm late starting on this chapter. I know all of you can't wait to find out where Damon's going to take Elena, and honestly up until just a few minutes ago, I couldn't either. I had a few ideas while studying my trusty map of the US, but it's kinda hard to decide on the perfect place for them to realistically drive to in one night when I haven't been outside of Canada except to go twice to Georgia and South Carolina, and once to California (or more accurately, Disneyland). I doubt the interior of the O Hare airport in Chicago really counts either. LOL. Anyway, since I'm not a worldly traveler, I had to do a little bit of research before I could continue this story any further because I prefer authenticity. Yes, I'm aware that Mystic Falls in itself is a fictional town, but I wouldn't want someone making stuff up about my home town so why would I do the same? Plus, it was kind of fun looking up beautiful places they could stay at; almost like I was planning my own romantic vacation, except this way I can live it out without shelling out the cash for it ;) So, yes, this beautiful hotel they stay at actually does exist, and if anyone wants to check it out, PM me and I'll send you the link to the site.

This chapter contains a pinch of lemon. I'm saving the best stuff for later, but if you absolutely need a lemon fix, you might want to check out "Surprise Dinner Guest" if you haven't already ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the beautiful resort I've sent them to play at. Suing isn't going to get you very far, I'm broke.

Chapter 3: Confessions

As Damon pulled the car up to the entrance of the hotel, he couldn't help but feel a little excited. He'd been picturing her reaction to the place he'd chosen for well over an hour now; her eyes wide with surprise and awe, her delighted smile, the warmth in her eyes as she looked up at him, not to mention the way she'd throw her arms around him and thank him all night long in their luxurious bed. Oh yeah, he was very pleased with himself right now; especially since the idea had just occurred to him in that same hour. He smiled down at the sleeping girl still snuggled into his side; her head almost on his chest. Elena looked so peaceful that he almost didn't want to wake her. After everything that had happened tonight, and how broken she had looked as he'd held her back at the boarding house, he knew she needed her rest; he also knew, however that it would look terribly suspicious for him to carry an unconscious young woman into a hotel lobby and ask for a room. While he could compel any witnesses to forget, he really just wanted to get her into a bed so she could have a proper night's rest. Gently, he shifted his arm around her to nudge her awake.

"Elena," he whispered softly. "Wake up, we're here."

Elena made a small sound between a groan and a yawn. She'd been having the most wonderful dream, though now that she was awake she couldn't remember what it had been about. All she knew was that she'd never felt as warm and safe as she did at that moment. She was tempted to just roll over in her bed and go back to sleep, when she realized she wasn't _in_ her bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head, looking up into Damon's handsome face. She was momentarily confused as to why she was in his car, and more importantly, snuggled up against him.

"Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he greeted her in that teasing, but sweet, tone he always used around her. It was almost like they'd gone back in time to when she'd woken up to discover they were in Georgia.

"Huh? Damon, what happened?" she asked, still a little groggy and confused.

"You fell asleep," he said simply.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that part out. I meant what _happened_? What am I doing here?" she asked. Slowly she pulled away from him; sitting up in her own seat. She immediately missed his arms around her, and unconsciously shivered. Damon shifted himself to remove his jacket and before she could say anything he gently draped it over her. She looked up at him, giving a small smile of gratitude.

"You don't remember?" he said, sounding a little hurt. "You were upset about something to do with Stefan..." he supplied, "asked me to take you away…any of this sound familiar?"

Elena's lips suddenly pressed together as the images from earlier that night came flooding back to her. She'd been prepared to help Stefan with his addiction when she'd walked in on him kissing Caroline. She'd torn into the both of them, then stormed out and ran into Damon. He'd comforted her; agreed to take her away from Mystic Falls without even thinking about it, and without even having a clear destination spot in mind. Elena suddenly felt the color rise to her cheeks as a more erotic image suddenly came back to her. Damon's hands on her as she lay sprawled across his leather seats in blatant invitation. The pleasure he had given her had been indescribable; so intense that had she not experienced it a few hours ago she probably wouldn't have believed it possible. Then…her mind was a blank. She looked up at him questioningly. He smirked back at her.

"Don't look at me like that, I didn't compel you." He said teasingly.

"Then why don't I remember anything…else?" she asked, hoping he couldn't see how embarrassed she was to be asking him that.

"Because nothing else happened," he told her seriously. "And then you fell asleep. I decided not to wake you until we got here."

"And where is 'here' exactly?" Elena asked, suddenly curious.

"Just a little place in North Carolina," he shrugged. Yeah, because that really narrowed it down. At least he hadn't driven them all the way to Georgia this time. Elena looked at him cautiously. "What are you up to, Damon?" she asked suspiciously.

He winked at her. "Guess you'll just have to find out, won't you?" He was out of the car and opening her passenger door before she could even blink. His hand was held out to her and she looked at it hesitantly. She really hadn't thought this whole running away with Damon thing through, and now she wasn't so sure it had been the best idea. He sighed. "Come on, just get out of the car," he said, his words closely echoing the ones he'd said to her in Georgia. She didn't move, so he decided to try a new tactic. Turning on the charm with his most winning smile, he added "I promise you'll like it…" in almost a sing-song voice. He winked again and Elena shook her head, laughing to herself. "I must be insane," she muttered; but she was still smiling as she took his offered hand.

Damon grinned. "That's more like it," he said as he helped her out of the car. Her legs were a little cramped from the long drive; or so she told herself when she suddenly found herself stumbling forward, Damon's other arm suddenly coming around her waist to steady her.

He felt and heard Elena's heart beat faster as her body came into close contact with his, and fought to keep his reactions to her under control. He would _not_ give in to her tonight; at least not without finding out exactly what she felt for him. Gently he pulled away from her and her tempting body, though he didn't let go of her hand.

"Looks like you're still pretty tired," he said casually. "We should probably get a room."

Elena nodded quickly in agreement; already her mind was racing back to what they'd done earlier in his car. "Yeah, that's a good idea," she said, her tone unintentionally seductive. "The sooner we get a room, the sooner you can get me into bed," she said without thinking. Damon arched one of his eyebrows at her and she blushed. "Um, you know what I meant," she said, quickly looking away in embarrassment. Damon smirked. "Yeah, I know what you meant." He had a feeling this was going to be the longest night of his life; both lives, to be exact. Damon could only pray he'd have enough strength to control himself.

Elena gasped as soon as they stepped into the hotel. The paneling on the walls was of a deep mahogany, contrasting beautifully with the old-fashioned light hardwood floors. The wallpaper border was in a soft botanical pattern that complemented the ornate rug in the seating area. It was of a light cream with a tangled pattern of ruby flowers with jade leaves and stems, and lay beneath gorgeous colonial-style furniture. There was a dark wooden chair with gold colored cushions; a tan, striped sofa; a floral patterned ottoman in lieu of a coffee table and a leather armchair in a deep chocolate brown, everything surrounded a large wood-burning fireplace in the same deep mahogany. It was as if she'd stepped back in time into the sitting room of an old colonial style manor. The sign above the door read: "Time goes, you say? Alas, no. Time stays, we go."

She could feel Damon's eyes on her and turned back to look at him. He looked pleased with himself, that much she could tell; and why wouldn't he? He'd somehow managed to get her alone in this beautiful, romantic hotel. There was something else in his eyes, however, something that made her pause. She couldn't quite figure out what the emotion was; and then it was gone. He nodded his head in the direction of the reception desk and she followed silently, still questioning why he'd looked at her like that just now, and what it had meant. It had been almost _tender_, like he was looking at a lover. But that couldn't be it, she thought. Sure, Damon had admitted he had feelings for her, but he couldn't possibly be _in love_ with her, right?

She was jarred from her thoughts by the sound of a bell chiming twice and Damon's echoing "Ding!"

The man sitting at the desk in a stuffy business suit just raised his eyes at the young couple with bare tolerance. The young man had an obnoxious and rebellious look about him, with his tee shirt and dark jeans, and the girl with him didn't look much better. Her hair was disheveled and she too wore jeans and a casual tee shirt underneath an oversized leather jacket which obviously belonged to her male companion. Neither of them carried any luggage, which he could only assume—especially since it was past midnight—meant they were only looking for a place to spend the night, or at least a few hours, anyway. "Can I help you?" he said coldly, reminding Elena of those snooty Maitre Ds at expensive restaurants.

"Yeah," Damon said, pretending to ignore the less than warm reception. "We'd like one of your finest rooms, please."

"Do you have a reservation?" he asked.

"Got a credit card," Damon said, slapping down the plastic.

Jeeves sneered. "I'm sorry, Mr…Salvatore, is it? But we only accept guests who have made reservations. Perhaps you and your…" he glanced over at Elena disapprovingly"…_paramour _should find someplace else to spend the hour."

That was the last straw; Damon grabbed the pompous man by the collar of his shirt and lifted him to meet his eyes. Immediately Jeeves' face went blank and Damon practically growled out "Now you listen to me, you stuff-shirt. You're not going to remember any of this. You will show both me and this lady the utmost respect from now on. You will make sure we are not disturbed, and should we request anything, you will make sure we get it without the slightest hassle. We have reservations for the best room available and we paid in advance. You will now show us to that room. Do you understand?"

Jeeves nodded blankly. "I understand," he said.

Damon smirked. "Good," he said, suddenly calm. Then his eyes lit up mischievously. "Oh, and one more thing; the next time you feel like being a pompous ass to someone, you'll relive whatever traumatic childhood memory made you that way in the first place and think better of it." Then he set the man back down behind the desk, adding "Dick," before he ended the compulsion. Elena knew Damon had just messed with someone's mind in front of her, but she couldn't seem to care. He'd deserved it, after all, and it had been pretty amusing.

As Damon leaned casually over the desk, Jeeves' expression changed to one of the deepest welcome. "Ah, Mr. Salvatore!" he said, beaming and reaching out to shake Damon's hand. "Welcome! We've been expecting you."

Damon looked over to Elena and smirked, giving a conspiratory wink. She couldn't help but smile at his antics. "We're ready for our room, please," he said. Jeeves nodded and bowed, actually _bowed_ much to Elena's amazement.

"Of _course_, Sir, anything you need. We at the Holly Inn are always happy to serve the great Damon Salvatore and his friends. If you'll just follow me, I can show you to your accommodations and collect your bags."

Damon waved him away with his hand in an excellent impersonation of nobility. "That won't be necessary. The lady and I have chosen to travel light this evening; however I will need a valet to see to my car."

Jeeves bowed deeply again. "Of course, Sir, it shall be done. Now, this way, if it pleases you," he said.

Damon took her hand again, Elena laughing and shaking her head as they followed him to their room.

"Thanks again, Jeeves, we'll call you if we need anything," Damon called out down the hall before shutting the door. He turned around to see Elena sitting on the gigantic bed, still smirking at him.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"The Great Damon Salvatore?" she repeated with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah," he said, grinning.

Elena shook her head. "You're impossible."

Damon playfully leapt onto the bed beside her. "You loved it," he teased as he lay back with his hands behind his head. Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the large white pillows, smacking him in the chest with it. He stuck out his bottom lip and gave her the puppy dog eyes.

"Hey, not so rough," he pretended to pout.

Elena was about to smack him again, but he was too quick for her and grabbed the pillow out of her hands, suddenly hovering over her and holding it up in mock-threat.

"Now you're gonna get it," he teased. Elena held her arms up in anticipation of the blow; she lost her balance and fell back onto the bed, giggling as he exacted his revenge. After a few more light smacks to her side, her expression suddenly changed to shock.

"Wait," she gasped, blinking the tears of laughter out of her eyes. Damon let her catch her breath, stepping off the bed and wondering why she'd made him stop when they'd been having so much fun.

She glanced around the room, puzzled. "There's only one bed in here," she said, looking at him almost accusingly.

Damon shrugged. "Well, yeah, we only need _one_," he said.

Elena suddenly sat up, glaring at him. "Just what the hell do you think is going to happen, Damon?" she demanded.

"Relax," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. "If I'd wanted to take advantage of you, I would have already done it a long time ago." She looked at him skeptically and he sighed, holding up his hands in surrender. "I swear I won't do anything you don't want to. I'll even sit in a chair all night if it'll make you more comfortable; it's not like I _need_ to sleep."

"Promise?" Elena asked.

"You have my word," he said seriously.

Elena pursed her lips together as if she was thinking hard about something; then, suddenly coming to a decision, she patted the spot beside her on the bed. Damon looked at her questioningly and Elena sighed. "You don't have to sleep in a chair," she said, "this bed is large enough that we can share without ever coming into contact with each other," she arched her brow in warning, "as long as you stay on your side."

Damon pretended to sulk again. "But I don't _want_ to stay on my side," he whined. At the look she gave him he quickly raised his hands up again. "Kidding," he said. "You _really_ need to loosen up a bit."

Elena shrugged her shoulders. Damon suddenly turned serious as he sat down beside her. "Can I ask you a question now?" he asked softly.

"Go ahead," she replied, lying back onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. Damon unconsciously mimicked her actions. They were both lying side by side, staring up at nothing in particular. Damon turned his head to study her face, concern written all over his own. "What happened tonight, between you and Stefan, I mean?"

Elena sighed and closed her eyes, debating on whether or not to tell him. She shrugged her shoulders. "We broke up," she answered simply, without emotion.

"I gathered as much when you begged for me to take you away. I want to know _why_ you broke it off," he said. He saw Elena shrug again and sighed. "Come on, Elena, talk to me. Tell me what happened and I promise you'll feel better. You need to let it all out." She still wasn't looking at him so he smirked. "If you don't tell me, I'll just compel you."

She suddenly turned to glare at him, eyes blazing. He smirked. "Got your attention," he teased. Elena rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration before turning to stare up at the ceiling again. At first, Damon was worried that she was going to keep whatever was bothering her bottled up inside, but then he heard her mumble something under her breath that sounded like "kiss Caroline".

"Sorry?" he asked. "I didn't quite catch that; even with my super vampire hearing."

Elena turned her head back to look at him and Damon's heart immediately broke for her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she drew in a shuddering breath. "I said," she drew in another shaky breath, "he kissed Caroline. When I went back to see him…she was lying there, on the couch, and he was kissing her. I'm pretty sure they would have gone further if I hadn't walked in on them." She was openly crying now, her voice becoming a high pitched sob. Immediately Damon sat up and gathered her into his arms; stroking her hair and back as she sobbed into his chest.

"Oh, baby," he whispered soothingly into her hair, unaware of the pet name he'd just given her. "I'm so sorry."

She felt him slowly rocking her in his arms and clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely. In truth, he sort of was at the moment. Damon's strong arms around her, his soothing words, his comforting hands stroking her hair, the way he held her, it was as if she was the most important person in the world to him; she felt _loved._ Her heart suddenly swelled with emotion for the man who had always been there for her, regardless of how many times she'd rejected him for his brother. He should hate her, she reasoned. He should tell her she deserved to have her heart stomped on by Stefan's betrayal just as she'd broken _his_ countless times by insisting she preferred "the good brother". He hadn't done any of those things. Instead, he'd taken her away when she'd begged him to, respected her enough not to push things further in the car while she was vulnerable, taken her to this gorgeous hotel, and held her as she cried over his asshole of a younger brother and the girl she'd thought was her best friend; and he didn't expect anything in return. Elena closed her eyes tightly, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Damon; a heady combination of leather and spices. She lifted her head slightly, burying it into his neck and breathing him in again. Her lips brushed his skin and without even thinking about what she was doing, she placed a soft kiss there.

Damon closed his eyes and moaned softly when he felt Elena's soft lips touch his skin. Tilting his head back, he gave in to the sensations she was evoking and gasped as her lips trailed upward to settle behind his ear. She suddenly nipped his earlobe and he growled low in his throat; the animal in him fighting for control. He managed to keep his cool, softly threading his fingers to tangle in her hair. She moved closer, kissing the corner of his jaw before moving inward. She gently touched her lips to his in a whisper of a kiss before drawing back. His eyes opened again and met hers; they had darkened to a deep chocolate brown, betraying her desire. Then they fluttered closed again as she slid her hands up to grip his head and pull him back toward her; leaning back to fall onto the bed.

Damon was completely lost in his desire for Elena. His hands were frantic; tangling in her hair, then sliding down to stroke the column of her neck and further down to caress her sides. She gripped his hair tighter in her fist, keeping his mouth firmly against hers while her other hand was gripping almost painfully at his shoulder as she writhed beneath him. Elena's kiss was almost as frantic as her hands; she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, nipping at it with her blunt teeth. He groaned and unconsciously ground his hips against her; she went wild. Damon was almost shocked when Elena let out an animalistic growl as she fought to dominate the kiss. She raked her nails down his back to the hem of his shirt, practically trying to rip it off him. Damon quickly sat up and removed it for her, tossing it over his shoulder, while Elena ridded herself of her own shirt. Damon felt himself harden painfully at the sight of her full breasts, barely concealed in a black lace bra; her pebbled nipples poking through the thin fabric naughtily. He dipped his head down to quickly capture one in his mouth, and Elena let out a small cry or pleasure, her fingers gripping his hair again in encouragement.

"Damon," she cried. Her lips found his neck and she suddenly bit down without thinking.

Something powerful and primal went through him and Damon felt his fangs start to emerge. He fought to control himself, pulling away and cupping her face in his hands to keep her from tempting him again.

"We have to stop," he rasped.

Elena's lower lip quivered slightly. "Why? I thought you wanted me," she said, hurt by his rejection.

Damon gently stroked her face, his eyes locked with hers. "I do," he assured her. He pointedly glanced down at her chest, licking his lips hungrily. "It's taking all the strength I have not to just rip your clothes off and take you right now, but…"

"Then take me," Elena said quickly, cutting him off.

He shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "Not like this. I won't let you use me to get revenge on my brother."

"You think this is about Stefan?" Elena said, her voice cracking slightly with hurt. Damon didn't say anything and she wanted to shake him; to make him see that her wanting him had nothing at all to do with his brother's betrayal. "Damon," she pleaded when he dropped his hands and turned his head away from her. She refused to let him shut her out and gripped his shoulders, trying to turn him to look at her; to make him see her. "What happened just now," she said, biting her lip, "it had nothing to do with Stefan. I wouldn't do that; I'm not _her_."

Damon turned back to face her. "What am I to you, Elena?" he asked her, pleading with his eyes.

Elena nervously bit her lip and averted her gaze. "I'm not sure," she said quietly. Her eyes suddenly met his again and she reached out to touch his face. "I know I have feelings for you, and I know I want you, but…I just don't know. You've done so many terrible, unforgivable things. You've hurt me, Damon. And yet, I still can't cut you out of my life. I…I know I would miss you too much. Does that make any sense at all?"

Damon smirked. "Not really," he said honestly. "But I get it."

Elena smiled. "Good," she said, her eyes suddenly focusing on his lips again. Damon caught her staring and shook his head.

"No," he told her, amused but firm. "Not tonight."

Elena pouted. "But why?" she asked. "I told you I wanted you too."

"And I still want you," he reassured her. "But it's late, and you need your rest."

Elena sighed in frustration, but fell back onto the bed; her arms were crossed and she still had an adorable pouty look on her face. Damon laughed. "Don't look so disappointed," he teased. "I'm trying to be a gentleman."

"I don't want you to be a gentleman," she muttered under her breath. He laughed again, shaking his head as he reached over to turn off the bedside lamp in order to give her some privacy. He could hear the rustle of fabric as she removed her jeans and dropped them to the floor before pulling back the covers and slipping into bed. Damon quickly divested himself of his own jeans, leaving his black boxer briefs on for Elena's sake, before slipping under the covers on the other side.

"Damon," her voice suddenly called sleepily to him after a few minutes. He glanced over at her in the dark; she was lying on her side facing him, and she licked her lips nervously.

"Yeah?" he asked her.

"Will you hold me?" she whispered softly, almost afraid he'd reject her again. Instead, he moved closer, to the center of the bed, and gathered her gently into his arms. Her own arm came up to drape over his chest as she curled into him. He was still warm to her touch; having fed enough earlier that day to last him at least another night, and she snuggled closer into his warm body. "Good night, Damon," she whispered.

"Good night, Elena," he echoed, "sweet dreams." He gently kissed the top of her head, breathing in the sweet floral scent of her hair; he stroked it softly as he felt her breathing slow and she drifted off to sleep. "I love you," he whispered quietly. She let out a soft sigh of contentment and nuzzled his neck in her sleep. He smiled and, placing one last kiss to her temple, he closed his eyes to join her.


	4. Chapter 4: Waking

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Diaries, "Plan B" wouldn't have been such a Stefan/Elena suck-fest (no pun intended) and there would have been a lot more DELENA scenes than just the tiny crumbs we got. Those crumbs were still pretty good, though.

Warning: This chapter contains an extremely succulent helping of DELENA Lemon Meringue pie, so if you don't like that sort of thing….I'm wondering why you're even reading this ;p

Chapter 4: Waking

Sunlight streamed in through the curtains of Stefan's bedroom, waking him almost instantly. He attempted to stretch his arms, but suddenly noticed that one of them was pinned down to the bed. Looking down, he expected to see Elena snuggling next to him; instead, Caroline's blonde hair was splayed across his chest in messy curls, and the night came back to him. Elena had stormed out of the boarding house and Caroline had comforted him. They hadn't done anything more than share a few kisses last night, but since neither of them wanted to sleep alone, they'd decided to cuddle together in Stefan's bed. Now in the light of day, however, Stefan was beginning to wonder if he'd made a mistake; after all, Elena might have cooled off after Damon took her home and maybe she was ready to talk to him. Caroline's eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him.

"Morning," she said.

"Uh, morning…" Stefan replied, not knowing what he was supposed to do now. He cared about Caroline; that much was obvious, but Elena was his girlfriend. He needed to find out where they actually stood before he did anything more to lead Caroline on. He licked his lips and ran his hands through his hair nervously. "Listen, uh…about last night…"

Caroline touched a finger to his lips. "We were both upset and did something stupid," she finished for him.

"Well I wouldn't say it like that," Stefan said. "But…"

"But you're with Elena," Caroline said, looking meaningfully up at him. "And last night, we both hurt her. If she was anyone other than my best friend, I probably wouldn't feel guilty at all, but she is; you owe it to her to try to patch things up. After all, she's the love of your life."

Stefan nodded in agreement, though he still looked at Caroline's face with concern. She smiled confidently. "I'll be fine, okay? Now go apologize to her!"

Stefan quickly threw on his jacket and headed for the stairs; he paused to look back at the girl still in his bed. "Thank you," he told her softly.

"Hey, that's what friends are for," she said cheerfully, waving him away with her hand.

As soon as she heard him leave she let the tears she'd been holding back finally fall. She'd made a mess of everything again, and this time she'd _really_ screwed up. What the hell had she been thinking last night? Sure, Stefan had been such a tremendous help to her lately as she adjusted to her new un-life, but he was Elena's boyfriend. Why had she felt such a need to comfort him and why the hell had she let him kiss her? She should have pulled away and slapped him, not lain back and begun a make out session on the sofa. She was a horrible person and deserved for Elena to hate her forever; especially knowing that she had stayed with Stefan even after Elena had stormed out. For god's sake she was still in his _bed_! She flung the covers back and got up, disgusted with herself. She desperately needed to talk to someone, but Bonnie would probably do that mind torture thing and watching Damon writhing on the ground had convinced her that it was excruciating; she so did _not_ want to find out if she was right. That really only left one other person, since she couldn't talk to Elena; at least _she_ was a captive audience. Resigned to her fate, Caroline dressed quickly and headed downstairs; her mother was probably hungry by now anyway and it wasn't like there was anyone else home who could bring down the breakfast tray for her.

Stefan was at Elena's house in record time. Without even bothering to check if anyone else was home, he leapt up to her bedroom window; finding it locked and the curtains drawn. That was odd in itself since she hardly ever kept them shut in the morning. He figured she might still be asleep, so he tapped gently on the glass.

"Elena," he called to her. She didn't answer. He listened carefully for the slightest sound, but couldn't even hear her breathing. Frowning, he tried again, this time a little louder.

"Elena, please answer me," he called; no answer. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened last night. Can we at least talk about this?" Still nothing but silence greeted him. He was about to just break the lock and come in when he suddenly heard movement coming from inside. Maybe she'd been in the bathroom, he guessed. The curtains were suddenly flung open, but it was Jeremy's face that greeted him; he looked irritated as he unlocked the window and flung it open.

"What do _you_ want?" he growled, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly. He'd certainly gotten bolder now that he had taken possession of John Gilbert's ring.

"Is Elena home?" Stefan asked, ignoring Jeremy's death glare. Just what had his sister told him last night?

"No, she's not," he said coldly.

"Where is she? I need to talk to her," Stefan pressed.

Jeremy scowled. "Well obviously she doesn't want to talk to you, because she told me not to tell you anything before she left."

"She left?" Stefan's jaw clenched, suddenly worried, "Where?"

Jeremy shrugged. "She didn't say," he said. Stefan suddenly leapt through the window, placing his hands on Jeremy's shoulders and searching his face. "There is something you're not telling me."

Jeremy glared at him menacingly. "Let go," he growled.

Stefan shook his head. "Not until you tell me what you know," he said stubbornly.

"I told you, I don't know anything!" he shouted.

"I think you do," Stefan countered.

"Look, what does it matter where she is? She told me she was safe, and I believe her, okay?"

"It matters because…" Stefan paused, unsure of how much to tell him. Jeremy's eyes widened with realization.

"It was _you_," he whispered, eyes narrowing and jaw clenching. "You did something to hurt my sister, and that's why she left without so much as an explanation." he growled. "If you hit her…" he looked ready to kill and Stefan shook his head.

"No, I didn't touch her," he said.

"Then what?" Jeremy demanded. "Did she catch you in bed with Katherine?"

"No, she didn't catch me with Katherine," Stefan said, looking away.

Jeremy caught his guilty expression, however, and looked ready to punch him. "You son of a bitch," he hissed.

"Look, I can explain," Stefan pleaded, "But I really need to speak to Elena first."

Jeremy laughed coldly. "Oh I'm sure she'd love to hear your _explanation_," he spat menacingly. "Or, maybe it's too late and she's already gotten revenge?"

"You _do_ know something," Stefan said, trying to stay calm.

Jeremy shrugged. "Maybe I do. It's still too late though. They were already out of town when she called me from his cell," he added. He wanted to hurt Stefan right now; he deserved everything he got for betraying Elena, hurting her enough to make her leave town with Damon of all people. He hadn't understood last night, but he did now.

"Whose cell?" Stefan asked carefully, the dread in his voice even as he prayed to God it wasn't true. She wouldn't do that to him; she'd been angry and said a bunch of things she didn't mean because she'd wanted to hurt him last night, but she couldn't have done this too.

Jeremy's satisfied smirk was like a mirror reflection of the eldest Salvatore, and Stefan felt his stomach clench. "Who do you think?" he replied smugly. "Or did you rush over here without checking to see who else is missing from Mystic Falls this morning?"

"No," Stefan whispered. "No, she didn't…"

Elena groaned and snuggled into Damon's warm body; grabbing a pillow and pulling it over her head in an attempt to drown out the low buzzing of Damon's phone as it went off for the fifth time in his jacket pocket.

"Ugh, you'd think he'd take a hint," she said, her words muffled by the pillow. Damon breathed a sigh of relief as it finally went silent, then chuckled at Elena's frustrated growl as the buzzing started up again.

"I guess I better get that," he said, moving to get out of bed. Elena suddenly gripped his arm.

"No, stay here," she pouted adorably. "He'll give up soon."

Damon shook his head. "You know he won't. I'll be quick, I promise." With vampire speed, he shot across the room to grab the phone from his jacket. He crawled back into bed, about to answer the call, when Elena held out her hand. He looked at her questioningly, but let her take it.

"Damon's phone," she said in greeting as she took the call. She looked over and winked at Damon; she had even perfected his trademark smirk.

"Elena!" Stefan's tone was frantic. "Where are you?"

"Where's Caroline?" she countered.

"She's taking care of her mother," he replied impatiently. "Now where are you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Don't be like that," he sighed. "Just answer me."

"In bed with your brother," she said coldly.

"Very funny," he deadpanned.

"I'm not kidding," she replied without a trace of emotion. "And I meant every word I said last night!"

"Elena," Stefan pleaded. "Don't do this."

"Do what?" Elena asked heatedly. "Lash out at you even though you deserve it?"

"You have every right to be mad at me," he said. "I screwed up, okay? But that doesn't give you a free pass to run off with my brother not even five minutes after you ended things with me. So go ahead, lash out, but at least have the decency to let me explain."

Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits and Damon was very glad he was not Stefan at that moment. "NO!" she shouted. "You don't get to play the victim here, and you don't get to act all hurt that I ran to Damon. At least _I _had the decency to end things with you first before I let him comfort me."

"You didn't…" Stefan pleaded. "Elena, please tell me you and Damon didn't…"

"Whatever Damon and I did or didn't do is no longer your concern. But if you're so upset over it, maybe you can talk to Caroline. I hear she's really good at comforting my ex boyfriends."

"Elena," he tried again but she cut him off.

"Just stop, Stefan. Don't you get it? I don't care! You sure as hell didn't care when you kissed Caroline last night, so as far as I'm concerned we have nothing else to say to each other."

"Elena, please…"

She ended the call and turned the phone off for good measure before throwing it across the bed. "No more interruptions," she said firmly. Damon just stared at her, mouth wide open in shock. "What?" she asked.

"I've never heard you talk to him like that before," he said, still amazed.

Elena shrugged. "Yeah, well he really pissed me off," she said.

Damon smirked. "Remind me to never get on your bad side. Damn!" He shook his head in disbelief and Elena giggled.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said happily, bouncing slightly on the bed.

"Good," Damon smiled warmly. His expression suddenly turned serious as he studied her face. "I have to ask though…" he started.

"Ask me anything," she encouraged him. He watched her carefully, his eyes gazing deeply into hers. She wasn't wearing her necklace, but she knew he wasn't compelling her; she didn't know how she knew that, but she just _knew._

"You said you meant every word you said last night to Stefan, and I somehow got the feeling that he was referring to something that had to do with me. Am I wrong?" She shook her head, but didn't say anything so he continued. "What did you tell him?" he asked.

Elena sighed. "I don't know if I should say," she bit her lip nervously. Damon reached a hand up to stroke her cheek reassuringly.

"If you don't want to tell me, I'll understand," he told her. "I just…" his hand lowered as he looked away from her. Elena could feel him start to put a wall between them and quickly grabbed his hand, holding it in both of hers.

"It's okay," she said, one hand moving up to cup his face and turning his head to look at her again. "I'll tell you." She blushed slightly as she attempted to collect her thoughts. "I'm not sure where I should start," she admitted. "I kind of lost it after I caught Stefan with Caroline, and at first I just wanted to hurt them both. I was really harsh with Caroline; I brought up her past and how she always seemed to go after the men I was interested in. And for some reason, I asked her if she was going to go after you again." She looked away, suddenly afraid she'd said too much.

"Why would you…" he started, confused.

Elena shrugged. "Like I said, at first I just wanted to hurt her, but if I'm completely honest, well I think I might have been jealous," her eyes darted up quickly to meet his before turning away again.

"Huh," Damon considered this new bit of information, trying to hide his satisfied smirk.

"I wasn't finished though," she continued. Damon listened intently, wondering what other truths she had revealed to Stefan and mentally kicking himself for not having been close enough to the house to hear them. "I saw the look on Stefan's face, and I just couldn't help myself. I told him he hadn't imagined my feelings for you and that had I known he'd betray me in the end…" she trailed off, her face suddenly flushed, and didn't say any more.

Damon could tell that her next words had been the ones he desperately would have wanted to hear that night. He pleaded her with his eyes, asking her silently to tell him. Elena could sense him still staring at her, and sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to gloat about it," she warned. Damon mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key. She rolled her eyes, looking down at their now intertwined hands. "I said, that I ," she said quickly.

Damon arched an eyebrow. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage to admit what she'd only just realized herself last night. "I said that when you tried to kiss me that night, if I'd known that Stefan would betray me, I wouldn't have pushed you away like I did. I would have wrapped my legs around your hips, and I wouldn't have looked back." She raised her eyes up to his and could see the love shining there. "I realized the second I said it that I wasn't just saying it to hurt him anymore, Damon. I knew then that I meant every word. If things had been different back then, I would have given in to you that night. It took everything I had to do what I thought was the right thing, but the whole time there was a part of me that just wanted you to press me against the wall and make me forget everything." She watched his face cautiously; he seemed almost puzzled, as if he didn't know what to do next. As she slowly started to withdraw her hand from his, however, he held on to it. Carefully, as if he wanted to savor every second, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Their eyes met, saying everything that they couldn't put into words. Elena gasped as he suddenly turned her hand in his and pressed soft, lingering kisses against the inside of her wrist. Her eyes closed in pleasure as his fingers gently caressed the back of her hand and up her arm as his soft lips parted against her skin; his kisses were becoming deeper, more intimate. She shivered at the feelings coursing through her at this slightest touch, and moaned softly as his tongue darted out to taste her skin.

Damon could feel the blood pumping beneath his lips, but he ignored the call of it. He knew he would have all the time in the world to show her how good the experience could be; and besides, a little part of him wanted to wait. He knew that Stefan had tasted her, but his brother didn't have the experience or the control to make it _good_ for her. The competitive side of him was thrilled that the honor of showing her _that_ pleasure would be all his. For now, however, he would simply focus on the _other_ ways he could please her.

His lips trailed up the inside of her arm, leaving her skin tingling wherever his mouth touched her. Elena gasped as he found a particularly sensitive spot and felt her body growing heavily weak with desire. Damon must have sensed it too, for his other hand slid up to the small of her back, gently easing her back down to the bed and tucking a pillow underneath her back before hovering over her again. His lips moved up her arm to the thin strap of her bra; he nuzzled the crook of her neck, causing tingles of pleasure to shoot up her spine.

At her sharp intake of breath, Damon smiled against her; he thought it almost ironic that her neck just happened to be one of her hot spots. When he finally did claim her, it would be explosive for the both of them. He nuzzled her again, softly brushing his lips over her skin and ignoring the rapid pounding of her heart. He gently sucked at her skin, moving up to the corner of her jaw when the craving for her became too much for him. She turned her head toward him, lips searching desperately for his. He gave her what she wanted, claiming her lips with his own and sucking her lower lip into his mouth. He took both hands in his again; interlacing their fingers for a moment as he gently lifted them above her head, resting them gently on the pillows behind her. She attempted to lift her arms up to pull him close to her when he released her hands and pulled away from her lips, but he pressed them gently but firmly down; the look in his eyes was smoldering as he told her wordlessly to leave them there.

Elena felt so vulnerable lying before him, completely open to his touch. Last night, he'd allowed her to control the pace, letting her lose herself in his passionate embrace; this wasn't the case now. He took his time with her, tracing the outline of her body with his hands; sliding down her arms to her sides, his thumbs lightly circling over the undersides of her breasts. He did not take his eyes off her as he continued his slow exploration and Elena could actually _feel_ the intensity of his gaze shock through her system.

"Elena," he whispered, moving his right hand up to stroke her face. The fingers of his other hand stroked over the sides of her waist and chest; caressing her body, sending shivers of pleasure up her back and neck. "Tell me now if you don't want this,"

Elena shook her head. "I want this," she told him softly. "I want _you_."

Damon leaned in again, his lips a breath from hers. She arched herself up underneath him; her lips quivering as he finally touched her. His lips tasted her, one hand tangling softly through her hair as the other one left a trail of fire down her skin. With one finger he traced a line between her breasts, hovering over her ribcage and circling her belly button before dipping lower to stroke the skin just above the lace of her panties. She nipped at his lip, her hands reaching out to grip his hair again. Damon was too quick for her, however, and the second he felt her move, he pinned her wrists down with the hand he had tangled in her hair; though he continued to stroke her sides softly as he held her. She wriggled her hands in his firm grasp. "Damon," she pleaded in a low moan. "I need you." She arched up with her hips, grinding against him as if to prove her point. Damon didn't release her; his free hand moved to stroke up between her breasts again, this time sliding upward to her collar bone. "Please," she whimpered again; the throbbing between her legs was driving her half-mad with need and she wiggled her hips, rubbing herself against him in an attempt to ease the ache.

"I know, baby," he whispered against her lips. He felt her buck her hips against him as his fingers trailed downward to cup her through her panties; they were already soaked through with her desire and he closed his eyes; willing for his ardor to cool enough to regain control of his own need for her. She pressed against his hand, growling in frustration when he drew it away again.

"Elena, look at me," he demanded, his voice husky with lust. She did as he asked; her eyes almost black and heavily lidded. "I'm going to let go of your hands now, but I need you to promise me you'll keep them where they are. I can't have you distracting me or else this will be over before it's even begun, do you promise to be good?" he asked. She nodded her head in agreement. "Okay," he said, his grip loosening on her wrists as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Close your eyes," he commanded. Her eyelashes fluttered shut and he slid his hands slowly down to her sides again, tracing circles over her hips and belly as his lips touched the swells of her breasts; placing open mouthed kisses across her skin.

Elena inhaled in sharp gasps as she felt a sudden pinch on her nipple; followed closely by the soothing strokes of his tongue as his lips enveloped her through the fabric. She wanted to tear off the barrier separating his mouth from her, to grip his head and hold him against her; instead she clawed at the pillow case beneath her trembling hands. It was all she could do to stop from breaking her promise as he teased her body mercilessly. She moaned as he settled over her fully, his thigh moving to part her legs further before nestling between them. She could feel his erection straining against his boxer briefs and he purposefully ground his hips into her to relieve the pressure-ache inside her as he continued to feast on her breasts. She could feel the tremors in her thighs, her back arched, and a small shudder of pleasure went through her. Damon wasn't finished; before she could even recover from her mini-orgasm, he slid down her body, hands hooking into the waistband of her panties as he pressed a soft kiss over the damp fabric at the juncture of her thighs. Elena suddenly jerked her hips, trying to pull away. Her eyes were wide open, almost fearful as she looked down at him.

"No!" she gasped, suddenly panicking. "I mean, no one's ever…" she started to say, blushing. Damon moved back up to her, kissing her lips softly.

"Relax," he said, trying to calm her. "You'll like this, I promise."

She didn't protest as he left her lips again, trailing open mouthed kisses down her belly; his hands massaged her thighs, coaxing them to spread apart for him again. He looked up to see her eyes shut tightly, her teeth biting into her lower lip as if she was waiting for him to get it over with. He couldn't help but shake his head at that; clearly his little brother had no clue what he was doing. He would make sure that Elena knew _exactly_ what she had been missing.

Elena gasped as she felt the first brush of his lips just below her hip bone; it was only the slightest touch, but still a jolt of pleasure shot through her. He teased the skin there; gliding his tongue down to the crease of her thigh, placing soft tantalizing kisses close to the edge of her panties. She gripped the pillow tightly, her fists clenching in small spasms as his lips touched her through the fabric, just above her pubic bone before moving to her other thigh, giving it the same attention he did the first. As his lips and tongue teased down the crease of her thigh this time, he drew her panties down her legs; slipping them off before she even realized he'd done it. Slowly, so as not to alarm her again, he moved closer to his goal. His tongue lightly traced the outsides of her labia and her eyes shot open, her head lifting up to look down at him between her spread legs. Damon didn't stop even as his eyes met hers.

"You taste so good, Elena," he moaned, proving his point by gripping her thighs firmly and slipping his tongue up between her folds; taking a long, slow lick as if he was feasting on a tasty dessert. She found the sight of him kissing her so intimately incredibly erotic and locked her eyes with his as his mouth continued to move over her in the most intimate caress imaginable. Suddenly he moved his hands toward her center, parting her folds and flicking his tongue over her clitoris.

"Oh, Damon!" she cried out, her head sinking back into the pillows; his lips circled the tiny bud, drawing it into his mouth and applying just the right amount of pressure with his tongue. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think; couldn't do anything except focus on the intense pleasure of Damon's mouth on her. She had thought what she'd experienced last night in his car had been intense, but it paled in comparison to what he was making her feel now. Her thighs trembled, her toes curled, and her muscles were clenched so tightly that she was afraid she'd strain them; it was so good that she never wanted him to stop.

"More," she cried, barely getting that one word out coherently; it sounded like "Mmmmmm…..ooohhhh…aaahh….rrr!"

She felt him press harder, and she cried out again. "Sooooo goooood," she moaned. "I need….I…want…unnnggghhh!" She was babbling now, unable to form a coherent sentence as he worked her clit with such skill that could only come with experience; and he'd had plenty. He kept an even amount of pressure against her, giving her just enough of what she needed without pushing her over the edge. He felt her body quivering, could feel the blood pulsing wildly beneath his lips as her arousal increased. Slowly, his finger slipped inside her, curving to press against the sponge-like tissue of her G-spot and stroking in a "come-hither" motion firmly in time with the movement of his tongue against her.

"Oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk," Elena cried, tears springing to her eyes as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her. It was almost too much as she felt every nerve ending she had come alive; she was dimly aware of his fingers sliding out of her and was grateful for the reprieve as her flesh was so hypersensitive at the moment that had he kept stroking her, she wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Damon was hovering over her again, "I told you that you'd like it," he said with a satisfied smirk on his handsome face. Elena felt so weak at the moment that she didn't even try to argue with him; after all, he'd given her such insane pleasure that she'd actually cried and they hadn't even gotten to the main event yet. She felt his swollen erection teasing her entrance and her eyes fluttered open again; staring up into the stunningly dark blue depths of his. She wanted to tell him everything she was feeling, right then and there, but he dipped his head down to silence her with a kiss before she could even gather her courage to say it. As his tongue slipped into her mouth, caressing hers, he pushed slowly into her. She nearly came undone in his arms as she felt him stretch her; filling her completely in a way she had never felt before. She'd had her suspicions that Damon would be bigger, based on the quick glances she'd stolen when she was sure nobody would catch her; but looking was _nothing_ compared to feeling him inside her. Whoever had coined the phrase "size doesn't matter" had clearly never had the pleasure of experiencing Damon Salvatore's hard, massive length; poor unlucky soul.

Damon watched Elena's knuckles turn almost white with her effort to keep her hands to herself as he began to move within her. She was so perfect, like she was made for him. He was almost convinced he'd died (again) and that this velvet heat surrounding him was his version of Heaven. As she continued to thrash her head and claw at the pillows, he finally took pity on her. He could feel himself near the brink already, having denied his own pleasure for too long, and was determined to take her over the edge with him.

"Wrap your arms around my neck," he rasped as his hands slipped under her hips, lifting her up slightly. She did as he asked, and with rapid movement Damon grabbed one of the pillows she'd been clinging to and tucked it under her so that her hips tilted up slightly. Elena looked at him questioningly, and he placed a soft kiss on her lips again. "Trust me," he said, though it came out more like a question.

She nodded. "Okay," she whispered, letting him lay her back once more. He entered her at a different angle this time, and she cried out in surprise as he stroked her front wall and hit a spot that sent the tingles up her spine again. He sat up, angling his hips upward as he gripped her thighs and stroked that spot again. Her own hands gripped the bed sheets to stop her nails from clawing into his skin in her frantic state.

"Oh my god!" she cried as the shocks of pleasure shot up her spine and down to her toes in rapid succession. She could sense he was as close to coming as she was by the way he sharply jerked his hips, his movements less controlled than before. His hand slipped back between her legs, rubbing her clit until her legs were quivering and her entire body felt like it was on fire. And then the inferno hit; she reached out to grab for him again and he fell forward, his lips covering hers as their shared climax wrung the last bit of strength that was left from them. Elena could feel her legs still shaking around his hips even as she felt the energy drain from her. Damon slowly pulled out of her and moved to lie beside her, not wanting to crush her with his weight. Her breathing and heart rate still hadn't returned to normal even though it had been a few minutes; if he hadn't known any better he could have sworn his brand of pleasure had nearly killed her. He couldn't help but congratulate himself for that one.

Elena could do nothing but gasp as her heart continued to pound in her chest; it was as if she'd just had the most intense work out of her life, and in a way, she had. She was dimly aware of the silly grin on her face, but couldn't seem to stop it. In fact, she wasn't even sure she could move at all even if she wanted to; Damon really was _that_ good. She suddenly started giggling uncontrollably, though she had no idea why. It was as if she had lost control of _everything_, including her emotions.

"Holy fuck," she slurred, her face tingling so much that it felt like it was frozen. "That was….oh wow…I can't fucking believe this…" And then she started giggling like a maniac again.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked, his eyes shining with amusement.

"I'm not sure," she giggled nervously. "I just….the tingling…it's just everywhere…" she ran her hands over her body as if to prove her point. "I feel…it's just amazing…"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were high right now," he teased, only half-joking. Elena really did look like she was experiencing an intense, euphoric high that was usually only associated with drugs or during his kind's mating ritual. He'd only ever known it once, when he'd been human and Katherine had shared the experience with him. It surprised him that Elena was feeling it now, when he hadn't even bitten her yet; he was a little curious what her reaction would be when he finally _did_ claim her completely.

Elena was still giggling, her breathing erratic and her heart pounding almost dangerously. She tried to gasp for air, to get her breathing under control, but it wasn't working. She was beginning to panic now. "Damon," she cried. Her eyes were suddenly fearful. "It's too much," she managed to gasp out. "I can't stop…I…oh…god…."

Damon quickly gathered her into his arms, rubbing her arms soothingly as he tried to coax her body to relax from the heights it had been drawn to. "It's okay," he said calmly, though he was starting to worry; her heart was still beating too fast. "You'll be okay, baby, you just have to calm down."

"I can't," she whimpered against his chest.

He rocked her gently, stroking her hair. "Yes you can," he told her. "Just relax; you need to slow your breathing first."

Elena closed her eyes, willing herself to focus on Damon's soothing touch as she attempted to catch her breath again. It was difficult, but she managed to draw in a shuddering breath of air, held it, and then slowly let it out again. "That's it, baby," Damon encouraged her softly. "Focus on me, Elena." His words of encouragement combined with his soothing touch were all she needed to finally slow her breathing, though she could still feel her heart pounding.

"It's not working," she said.

"Don't think about that," Damon said, concerned she'd work herself back up again into an anxiety attack; she needed to stay _calm_. "Just focus on my voice, okay? Don't worry about anything else and your heart rate will slow down, I promise." He felt her head nod against his chest. "Okay, now take a deep breath, and then slowly let it out." She closed her eyes again, letting him coach her; after a few minutes she was finally taking the slow deep breaths on her own without him having to tell her. Damon could hear her heart rate returning to its normal pace and breathed out a sigh of relief. He'd really been afraid for a while that she wouldn't be able to come out of it and he'd have to compel her to relax; he was glad now that it hadn't come to that. After a few minutes of stroking her hair, he lowered her back down to the bed. She was almost ready to fall asleep again now that she had calmed down, and Damon stroked the side of her face lovingly. She turned her eyes to meet his.

"Damon, I…" she began, but he placed a finger to her lips.

"Shhh," he said, stroking her face. "We'll talk later, I promise. Right now I want you to get some more sleep while I pick us up a few things." He moved to get out of the bed but Elena quickly grasped his hand. "Stay," she pleaded. "At least until I fall asleep?"

He sighed, never able to say no to her. "Okay," he agreed, lying back down to gather her into his arms and pull the covers over them both. "But just for a few minutes." She snuggled into him, her breathing evening out in less than five minutes. Damon couldn't tell if he'd imagined it as he slowly settled her sleeping form under the covers before leaving the bed, but he was certain he heard her murmur "I love you." She smiled softly in her sleep, and he was almost certain that she was dreaming of him.

Author's Note: Woohoo! 10 whole pages, a very juicy, succulent DELENA lemon meringue pie for dessert, and finished so quickly too. Although it would have been sooner had my insufferable (but loveable) hubby not decided to stay home most of the past two days. I can't write when he's around because he just doesn't seem to get that I need to have certain working conditions in order to get into the proper mindset. So, no darling, I can't just hole myself up in the bedroom with my laptop and attempt to tune out the noise coming from the TV in the living room, and I can't just drop everything while in the middle of writing a scene and come back to it later! Okay, done ranting now. The important thing is that after much coaxing on my part, he finally left for school like a good boy and I got the quiet time I needed to finish this off. I was actually hoping I would take a little longer since I have to distract myself from turning on the TV until 10 when he comes home. See, we have a standing date to watch TVD together, and I'm not supposed to watch it early b/c that'd be cheating. It's particularly difficult tonight since I'm dying to see "Masquerade" and the anticipation of seeing Damon in a mask and suit is just too much.

Anyway, about the last part of the chapter…in case some of you were wondering, it _is_ possible to feel that high afterward. It's rare and extremely difficult to achieve and depends on a lot of different factors, many of which I have not quite narrowed down, but it's real. I won't go into too much detail since it wouldn't be fair to my guy, but I will tell you that at the time I thought I was going to pass out. If you've ever experienced an anxiety attack (heart racing, unable to catch your breath, shaking and dizziness), just take that and add the feeling of having every inch of your body tingling (like when your foot's asleep) and intense shocks randomly shooting up your spine causing you to shiver even though the action ended minutes ago (it feels longer though) and you're pretty much there! Yeah, it's intense. I think Cosmo called it an "Extended O" or something. But seriously, it can get a little scary to lose all control like that, especially if you've never heard of it happening before. That's all for the Sex Ed for now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; I can't wait for the reviews to start pouring in!

Thanks for reading! Sincerely,

Temptress Kitten


	5. Chapter 5: Complications

Author's Note: First off, I want to thank everyone for the AMAZING reviews! Wow, seriously you guys rock! I must have looked at the messages on my Blackberry at least 10 times a day since I started getting them and let me tell you, it's seriously been a huge help to me whenever I'm feeling crappy about my life. Being jobless and having less than a month to find a new place b/c our lease is almost up, combined with the hubby working so hard and going to school five nights a week (thus being tired and cranky and not the best company) can really take its toll. So yeah, thank you for all the kind words. I was also really touched to hear that my writing has helped cheer some of you up after a crappy day (you know who you are). I'm glad I could help you escape, even if just for a little while.

I have to admit when I started this, I had no clear path in mind. I rarely ever do when I'm writing a story. Normally I start off with an idea I want to run with, or even just a scene, and then I let that lead me through the first few chapters before I realize where I want to go. So, last night, while looking over everything I've written, and reading over my reviews again, I came to my decision as to where I'm going with this plot-wise. As a result, there's a lot more scenes with the other characters from here on out; though I'm still throwing in plenty of DELENA into the chapters since this _is_ their story after all. Anyway, the plot…yes…well, considering "Plan B" was such a disappointment, I decided to re-work it for this story to make it much more appetizing for us DELENA fans. So I'm really going to start taking my time with this story since there are so many characters I now have to write and I don't want to lose the authenticity I've been praised for. That means I get to watch hours of Vampire Diaries episodes (woohoo!) so that I have their mannerisms down to an art form. Now, without further adieu, here's the chapter.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Vampire Diaries. It would have a much higher rating and we'd get to see Damon's jeans come _off_ if I did! ;p

Warning: This chapter contains lemon meringue; hot from the oven with lots of _steam_ ;)

Chapter 5: Complications

Jeremy couldn't help but feel guilty as he watched Stefan take off out the window again, eyes blazing with fury. He hadn't meant to break his promise to Elena, but really it was her own fault. She could have explained to him just what had happened last night. She didn't have any right to just take off like that, without even caring what he thought; and with Damon of all people. Sure, Jeremy had accepted that Damon had a dark side and was slightly sadistic; hell, he'd _killed_ him without even a thought to the consequences. But as much as he knew it would disappoint his father were he still alive, Jeremy had a grudging respect for Damon. That was, until he went ahead and seduced his sister. He didn't know what pissed him off more; the fact that Elena was using Damon to get revenge on Stefan, and thus reverting to her old destructive patterns of behavior, or the fact that she didn't even think it was worth telling him where she was going, or when she'd be coming back. For all he knew, Damon could turn her and he'd never see either of them again. Jeremy paused in his silent rant; no, Damon wouldn't do that. He'd seen the looks pass between him and Elena too many times to count; there was something else going on between the two of them. He just wished that Elena would talk to him. He'd been trying to reach her all of last night after she cut their call short, but she was ignoring her phone. He'd debated calling Damon, but since his sister wasn't really in any real danger he'd stopped himself. He wasn't sure why, but something had told him to wait, to let Elena sort things out like she'd said she needed to. He'd given her that time, but she wasn't home yet and he was starting to wonder where the hell they'd gone. If she didn't come home soon, he would have to tell Aunt Jenna where she was and Jeremy did _not_ want to do that. Jenna knew every trick in the book when it came to lying for people; hell, she'd probably _written_ the book. She'd know in an instant that Elena wasn't at Bonnie's or Caroline's or even Stefan's for that matter, and he'd be forced to come clean.

As if she could read his mind, Jenna popped her head through his bedroom door. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing a generous amount of lip gloss and had spritzed on a floral perfume that smelled only slightly different from the one she usually wore.

"Hey, did Stefan just leave?" she asked curiously.

"What makes you think he was here?" Jeremy feigned innocence.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Please, I _invented_ the whole sneaking around thing. Anyway, I just told Elena to be a little more discreet if she's going to be sneaking him in at night, but I thought I should tell you too, just to be on the safe side…parental responsibility and all that…"

"Anna left town, remember?" he said, trying to sound casual even though it still hurt like hell inside. He would never forgive his uncle for murdering his girlfriend.

"I know," Jenna said, looking down as if embarrassed. "But, you know, it's a new year and there could be other…so, yeah, try to be discreet this time? And I promise to do the same with Ric, deal?"

Jeremy started to nod his head to show he understood, but then paused. "Wait, you spoke to Elena?" he asked, suddenly on alert.

"Well, yeah. I talked to her after I saw Stefan sneaking out her window. He must have been afraid I'd caught him because he ran away faster than I could blink. It was weird." She shook her head slightly, as if she was sure she'd imagined it. Jeremy had more important things to be concerned about at the moment, however.

"So you spoke to her? She called you?" Jeremy asked, pressing her.

"Why would she have to call me?" Jenna asked, puzzled. "I _just_ saw her not even five minutes ago…" The doorbell suddenly rang and Jenna turned her head quickly in alarm. "Crap, that's Ric! Sorry, Jer, I've gotta go!" She practically bolted down the hall and down the stairs, and then she and Ric were heading out to his car. Jeremy tried to remain calm; maybe Elena was back after all. Maybe she'd gotten in just after Stefan had left. But then why hadn't he heard her come in? Unless…shit. He grabbed his cell phone off the desk and searched his contact list for Damon's number. It was as he was about to hit "SEND" that he heard the footsteps behind him. He spun around quickly, practically jumping out of his skin when he saw his sister's face smiling sweetly back at him.

"Hello, Jeremy!" she said a little too cheerfully.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her. "Katherine," he growled.

Katherine's smile suddenly turned to a cruel, amused smirk. "What gave it away? Was it the hair? I'll admit mine's a lot more stylish, don't you think?" she shook out her head of long dark curls as if she was a model in a shampoo commercial, laughing. He watched her warily. Katherine began to move around the room as if she owned it, picking up random items off Jeremy's desk and dresser, examining them with feigned interest before setting them down. She wasn't even paying him the slightest attention, and it annoyed him.

Jeremy crossed his arms across his chest, trying to look intimidating. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.

Katherine turned to wag a finger at him, making a little scolding sound with her tongue. "Careful, Jeremy, that tongue of yours is going to get you into a lot of trouble someday."

"I'm not afraid of you," he said stiffly, eyes glaring.

Katherine smirked. "Really?" she said, amused. She spotted the stake lying by his nightstand and picked it up, fingering it in her slender hands. "Did you make this all by yourself?" she asked, sounding like a condescending adult speaking to a small child.

"I figured it would come in handy," he replied, his tone threatening.

"Not bad," she said, still twirling it in her hands. "I must say, I'm actually impressed. Although…" she suddenly snapped the wood in two pieces and flung them across the room. In an instant she had Jeremy pinned to the wall, her eyes menacing. "You Gilbert men just don't seem to know when to quit do you?" she growled.

Jeremy glared back defiantly. "I guess not," he replied, a glint in his eyes that seemed familiar to her. She laughed cruelly.

"Well look at you," she mocked. "Gotten pretty cocky since Uncle John gave you that," she looked down at the hand pinned to his side pointedly. "How _is_ Uncle John, anyway? Did they manage to sew his fingers back on?" Jeremy let out a strangled sound; Katherine's hand was pressing a little too hard on his windpipe for him to do anything more. Katherine rolled her eyes and released him, taking a few steps back. "I'm sorry, what was that?" she held a hand up to her ear, eyes mocking.

"Go to hell," Jeremy growled. He expected her to pin him to the wall again, and for a second she had a murderous glint in her eyes, but then it was gone. It took Jeremy a second to realize Katherine was pouting.

"I really didn't come to fight you," she said.

"What _did_ you come for?" Jeremy asked, crossing his arms again.

Katherine smiled her sweet smile again. "Actually, I came to talk to Elena. Is she home?" She laughed at her own little joke. "Oh, that's right, she left town last night didn't she?"

"You're fishing, Katherine," Jeremy said, a bored expression on his face.

Katherine still had that sweet smile on her face, but her eyes were cold. "I wouldn't say that. I know she's gone, and obviously Stefan isn't with her. What I _want_ to know is _why_ he's not with her."

Jeremy lifted his chin defiantly. "You told them to break up, remember?"

Katherine shook her head and began pacing the room again. "See, I don't think that's it," she said. "I mean since when do those two ever listen to me? No, I think there's something else going on here."

Jeremy eyed her warily. "Why do you even care?" he asked.

Katherine shrugged, examining her nails. "I don't, really. I just _hate_ being out of the loop," she said petulantly.

"It's none of your business," Jeremy growled. Katherine turned on him again, pinning him back against the wall so that his head slammed against it painfully. He refused to acknowledge the pain; he wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"_Everything_ is my business," she hissed at him, her vampire face emerging "And now I'm tired of playing around!"

"Go ahead," Jeremy challenged. "I dare you." He tilted his head, baring his neck to her.

Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits, almost cat-like. "Been sipping vervain, have you?" Her hand suddenly grasped his, pinning it to the wall as she pulled the ring off his finger. "I can always just snap your neck," she taunted, holding his ring up. She gave a triumphant smile as the fear suddenly washed over him. "Now," she purred. "Tell me what I want to know…"

It was just a little after ten in the morning when Elena finally opened her eyes again. The sun was streaming through the window, giving the room a nice warm glow. She hadn't really given much thought to her surroundings last night or earlier this morning for that matter; her thoughts had been _elsewhere. _Now, however, she took in the breathtaking sight before her. The room was slightly more modern than the hotel's lobby, though still had a touch of the historical theme in the décor. The walls were wallpapered halfway up in a vertical gold and green floral pattern before meeting with the white crown molding that hit a quarter of the way down from the ceiling. The rest of the wall was painted in a light cream and the archway leading to the bathroom, which rose a few inches above the molding, gave the illusion of high ceilings. The bathroom was connected to the bedroom by a small hallway/walk in closet. To the right, facing the bed was a full length antique mirror and rocking chair. Off to the corner near the window was a round work table surrounded by two simple wooden chairs upholstered in cream and pale green stripes. The carpet reminded Elena more of a gigantic ornate rug; it was a light forest green with a small rectangular border of red-pink flowers and a framed by another border of larger red flowers against the rich green backdrop. The bed, which had been the only thing she _had _noticed last night, had a high headboard done in the same dark wood as the rest of the furniture. The sheets and pillows were a crisp white, and almost silky to the touch.

Elena couldn't help but appreciate the thought that Damon had clearly put into his decision to take her here. She now understood why he hadn't taken advantage of the situation last night; he hadn't wanted to seduce her, he'd wanted to _romance_ her. Even when they'd given in to their passion this morning, Damon had been tender with her; or as tender as he could be without losing that passion, anyway. She shivered in remembrance of the pleasure she'd felt, the events of the last few hours playing over in her head like a scene in an erotic movie; Damon kissing her, touching her with those expert hands, filling her so completely, and taking her to heights she'd never thought possible. She rolled over to her other side and noticed her reflection in the antique floor length mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess and her lips were swollen from the heated kisses they had shared last night and this morning. She couldn't help it, the expression "well fucked" instantly popped into her head and she couldn't hide the grin on her face. Well-fucked described her completely; her muscles were even a little tender, probably due to her tensing them up so much. She didn't care, it had been worth it.

The sound of running water suddenly caught her attention; Damon was in the shower. She felt the familiar ache flare up between her legs as she pictured naked skin glistening with moisture and a naughty grin spread across her lips. Ignoring her protesting muscles, she flung the covers back and slid off the bed. The door was open a tiny crack as she tiptoed toward the bathroom, hoping he wasn't listening too intently so she could catch him by surprise. Truthfully, she wanted to watch him, maybe get a bit of a free show, before he inevitably figured out she was there; he didn't disappoint.

The air was thick with hot steam from the shower, warming Elena's skin immediately as she stepped into the bathroom and making it almost impossible to see anything. She thought she could see a large bath tub in the corner near the toilet and vanity; however the only thing of interest to her at that moment was the walk-in shower big enough for three people. Damon's eyes were closed, so either he hadn't heard her come in or he was pretending not to notice. Whatever the case was, Elena didn't care at that moment; it allowed her to take a few moments to appreciate the tantalizing view just behind the steamed up glass. His soaking wet hair was slicked back, with a few strands were sticking to his face in all the right places. The beads of water glistened and glided over the sinewy muscles of his back and arms. Elena was practically salivating as she imagined her tongue and lips against that hard, wet chest. She watched Damon as he reached for the shampoo bottle and squeezed a small amount into his palms. He massaged his scalp and ran his fingers through his thick dark hair; his eyes closed almost in meditation as he leaned back into the shower's stream. He reached for the ivory bar of soap next and she watched him glide it over his skin; watched the soapy, sudsy trail form across his chest and those rippling washboard abs. Beads of water dripped down his torso, gliding slowly down his treasure trail to the dark V at the apex of his thighs. She suddenly envisioned herself on her knees before him, lapping at the beads of moisture; drinking him in. Elena was almost surprised at her lascivious thoughts; it had never been that way when she'd been with Stefan. He had inspired romantic fantasies with candlelight and soft music. Damon had awakened a wild, passionate fire within her; one that could no longer be denied. She continued to watch him, eyes raking over his body as her imagination went wild with images of him slamming into her, pressing her against the glass. These were not the gentle fantasies she'd once convinced herself she wanted, these ones were primal, raw, and thrilled her in a way that made her lower body throb in anticipation of the delicious things to come.

Damon had been wondering whether or not Elena would work up the nerve to even enter the bathroom while he showered ever since he'd heard her get up. When her light footsteps came closer to the door, then stopped, he'd wondered if she was hesitant to join him and had almost turned around to invite her in. Then the sweet scent of her arousal perfumed the air even as she stood there, staring at him. He'd felt her eyes watching him, her heart rate speeding up, her breaths becoming shallow pants, and he knew she wasn't hesitating at all. She was simply taking in the view, and probably hoping he was too pre-occupied to notice her presence. An amused smirk crossed Damon's handsome face; if sweet, innocent Elena wanted to play the voyeur he might as well give her a show.

Elena watched as Damon's hands slowly slid down over his stomach and nearly sank to her knees as he took hold of his rigid shaft and began to slowly and lightly glide his palm up and down the length. She could feel her body reacting to the erotic sight before her and caught the slight smirk on his face despite the steam that was beginning to blur the vision of him in the glass. Damn him, he knew she was watching him and now he was deliberately teasing her; and she was enjoying every second of the show he was putting on for her. If the sudden shallowness of her breath wasn't an indication, the dampness between her thighs certainly was. She was so tempted to open the door, slip into the shower, and bathe every inch of him with her tongue; but something held her back. She didn't want to give in just yet; she wanted to make him work for it. After all, he still had that arrogant smirk on his face, thinking that he had her right where he wanted her; she couldn't let him think he'd won so easily. Besides, she was enjoying the view too much to give in to temptation just yet.

The air heated up around her as Damon continued to lather himself up with the bar of soap; one hand still gliding slowly up and down his velvety shaft. His head was thrown back with the water spraying over him and trickling down his chest and shoulders and slowly rinsing the soap from his skin. As the water continued to pour over him, he suddenly moved his hand away from his massive length and squeezed a small bottle of body wash into his palms. Elena unconsciously licked her lips as he rubbed his hands together, working the soap into a lather before once again gripping his rigid flesh and resuming his earlier motions. She could feel the throbbing ache begin to build between her thighs as Damon continued to stroke himself, gripping a little tighter each time. She tried to stifle a moan as his right hand slid down his abs to join the left. As he pumped his rigid flesh up and down, his right hand suddenly gripped the head; massaging it first with his entire palm, then with just his thumb. Her fingers itched to touch him and she physically ached to have him buried deep inside her pulsing center. Elena wondered how long Damon planned to tease her. She had made it quite clear, after all, that she wasn't going to simply jump him in the shower and that he'd have to ask her to join him. But with the way he kept kneading and massaging his cock and pretending she wasn't there, Elena was tempted to simply abandon the game they'd started and beg him to fuck her right there and then. She caught Damon stealing quick glances over at her, the smirk still on his lips as he continued to pleasure himself. Perhaps it was time to give him a taste of his own medicine. Elena began to sensually run her fingertips over her collar bone; trailing them down toward her breasts.

Damon paused in his movements as she slowly circled a hardened nipple and gently pinched it, closing her eyes and letting out a low satisfied moan as she did. It was all he could do to control himself as he watched her hands gliding over her soft skin. Fuck, she'd obviously caught on to him and was now trying to beat him at his own game. Well if she wanted to play…

Damon gripped his cock tighter and moaned low in his throat, "Elena…" He heard her small gasp; that definitely got her attention. He increased the pressure and speed of his strokes, throwing his head back in ecstasy; knowing she was watching him and getting more aroused by the second. "Fuck, just like that, Elena. Don't stop," he moaned, knowing he was getting to her.

Elena tried once again to distract him, sliding her fingers downward "Damon," she whimpered as a hand slipped between her legs, stroking softly. Unfortunately she couldn't concentrate because Damon kept moaning her name; while it was seriously turning her on, she couldn't focus on the task at hand when all she wanted was to touch him and have his hands on her…and in her. Elena tried again, spreading her legs apart and dipping her fingers between the wet folds.

"Fuck, Damon," she cried, licking her lips and arching her back slightly.

"Elena, fuck…yeah…come for me," he practically growled as he worked himself to the brink.

It was obvious that she wasn't about to win this round. Damon's erotic moans were seriously getting to her and touching herself hadn't exactly helped. Her legs were trembling as she stepped toward the shower and she could hardly get her shaking hand to close around the handle of the glass door. Hot steam and the spicy scent of Damon's body wash enveloped her as she finally pulled the door open. Damon turned to face her fully; his eyes were glazed over with passion as they hungrily raked over her body, a triumphant smirk on his lips.

"Got you now," he said with a predatory but playful glint in his eyes.

Elena licked her lips, eyes full of challenge as she purred, "Now what are you gonna do with me?" Damon let out an animalistic growl in response; wrapping a strong, muscular arm around her waist and pulling her further into the large shower. Elena's hands immediately snaked up his back to tangle in his dark hair as Damon's lips crashed upon hers. They both moaned into the kiss; tongues tangling, lips devouring. Her legs began to give out just as Damon turned her around so that her back was facing the spray from the shower head. She really hadn't expected a verbal response, though a thrill of pure pleasure went through her as he pulled back to look into her eyes.

"I'm going to devour every inch of your skin," he growled close to her ear. She closed her eyes, shivering with the desire his words evoked. As the warm water cascaded down her back and shoulders, Damon bent his head to her neck and collar bone. She let out a low moan; there was just something about having his mouth on that spot that spiked her arousal like nothing else. Perhaps it was because she knew she was vulnerable and that if he chose, he could sink his teeth into her flesh and feed from her at any time. A part of her wondered what it would be like to share that part of herself; to truly be claimed by him. With Stefan, it had hurt, but she'd heard from Caroline after she'd turned that Damon's bites had always been quite pleasurable. She gave up thinking as, with long delicious laps of his tongue, Damon licked the beads of moisture trickling down her chest. He pulled away again, eyes a dark as sapphires. "I love the way your skin tastes," he rasped. One hand slid up from her waist and cupped her breast. Elena gasped and writhed against him as he expertly teased her nipple, rolling it between his fingers.

"You like that?" he smirked knowingly. Elena could only whimper in response so Damon continued. "I know you do, I can tell. I can _smell_ it, Elena," he whispered close to her ear again.

"Damon," she moaned as he dipped his head down once more; his lips and tongue traced over her collar bone and down to the soft rises of her breasts.

"I love it when you moan my name like that," he said huskily, his blunt human teeth grazing her skin. He could hear her heart beating erratically in her chest, could practically feel her blood pumping beneath her skin. "I love every little sound you make, Elena. I love that I can make you scream."

He suddenly tugged her nipple into his mouth and Elena did just that, letting out a cry of pleasure and gripping his hair tightly in her fists as she held his head to her breast.

"Fuuuuuck!" she cried again, arching her back and grinding her hips against his as she felt the light nibble of his teeth followed by the soothing laps of his tongue. Damon pressed her against the glass tile wall, using his hips to hold her in place as he moved to her other breast, teasing it the same way he'd done the first. The hand at her breast slipped down, gliding over her stomach to her nest of dark curls.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he moaned against her skin as he stroked between her sensitive folds. "I could slide into you right now," he growled, thrusting his hips hard against her as if to prove a point. Elena moaned in response, bucking her hips against him in invitation. Damon smirked. "You want me to fuck you, don't you?" he asked roughly as he found her clit and began to slowly rub it in a circular motion, his touch light enough to keep her at the edge but not push her over it. She nodded her head, biting her lip to keep from screaming. Damon lifted his head to meet her eyes and suddenly pulled his hand away from her; she whined softly at the loss of stimulation.

"Say it," he growled, "or I'll stop."

"I want you to fuck me," Elena responded, barely above a whisper.

"Louder," he growled, pinching her nipple.

"Fuck me, Damon!" she cried out.

Damon smiled predatorily at her. "Better," he said. "But I think I'd rather hear you scream my name a few more times first; I'm not finished tasting you just yet." His hands splayed at her hips to hold her down as he sank to his knees and parted her thighs; teasing the sensitive skin just above where she needed him the most. She groaned, attempting to angle her hips to get his tongue where she wanted it, but he pulled away again. He looked up at her, grinning wickedly. "Beg for it," he demanded.

"Damon," she pleaded, parting her thighs further and tilting her hips to give him better access.

He slid his hands to the insides of her thighs, rubbing his thumbs over the sensitive skin in light circles. "Tell me, Elena," he growled. "Tell me how bad you want it."

"Bad," she whimpered. "I want it bad, Damon, please."

His fingers inched closer, sliding over her wet flesh to tease her. She jerked her hips at the light touch on her clit.

"I'm gonna make you scream, Elena." His fingers dipped in between her folds, parting them slightly. "I'm not going to stop until I do." One finger moved up to rub against her clit again, causing her to cry out and nearly slam her head back against the tiles. "Nobody else has ever made you scream like I can, have they?" he asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Fuck…" Elena moaned in response. Damon suddenly pinched her thigh with his free hand, causing her to yelp in surprise. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to shock her back into awareness.

"That wasn't an answer," he growled. "Did _he_ ever make you scream like this?" he asked again, pressing against her sensitive nub a little harder.

"No," she admitted.

Damon smirked arrogantly. "I know," he said, circling her clit again with an even pressure. "I listened to you sometimes, and you never made half the sounds I can pull from your throat." As if to prove a point, he pressed his fingers against her in just the right spot and she let out a little mewl of pleasure. "I would lie on my bed, stroking my cock, and listen to those soft little sighs. It would frustrate me because I knew I could do you so much better than _he_ ever could. I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yes," Elena whined, her legs about to give out from the pleasure he was giving her. Only Damon's strength held her upright against the wall as his tongue lapped at the moisture on the insides of her thighs.

"Did _he _ever do this to you, Elena?" he asked before taking one long lick between her folds, pulling away just as he brushed over that tight little bundle of nerves now pulsing with arousal.

"Never," she admitted breathlessly.

Damon smiled against her skin. "That was your first time earlier, wasn't it?" he asked; he licked softly around her sensitive nub, letting the anticipation fan the flames of her arousal. He felt her thighs trembling and slid his hands down her legs, lifting them to hook around his shoulders.

"Yes," she cried, bucking her hips toward his mouth again. She could actually feel the arrogant smirk on his lips. "Please," she whined.

"Please, what, Elena?" he taunted her, wanting to hear her say the words. He'd never been so turned on; just hearing her begging him to fuck her earlier had almost made him come right then. He'd had no choice but to slow down; afraid that if he'd entered her at that moment he would have come on the spot. No woman had ever made him lose control like that since he was a horny teenager and he hadn't been about to allow it to happen now.

"Damon," she moaned. "Suck on my clit, please." Holy fuck, she'd actually said it. Damon felt himself grow impossibly harder than he'd been before. As he closed his lips around that little bundle of nerves, she screamed his name and fisted his hair in a death grip. He could tell she was close and while he wanted to savor her taste, his cock was now painfully hard. He wasn't sure he'd be able to draw this out any longer. Damon increased the pressure, slipping a finger inside her as he continued to suck at her flesh and sent her tumbling over the edge. Her entire body shook around him as he drank in the sweet nectar flowing from her. He let her come down from her high this time, not wanting to overload her senses too much after what had happened earlier that morning. He'd have to really learn all her body's responses and figure out just how much she could handle before he tried something like that again.

Elena fell boneless against him as Damon let her feet fall back to the floor again. As he moved to stand up, she sank down to her knees, a naughty grin on her face as she looked up at him and licked her lips just as he had done earlier.

"Your turn to beg," she taunted; she playfully nipped at his thighs before suddenly grasping his rigid flesh and teasing the tip against her lips. Damon growled low in his throat as she slowly opened her mouth, teasing the head of his cock with the tip of her tongue.

"Elena," he warned, gritting his teeth in an effort to control himself.

"You're not begging," she scolded him, moving to bite hard into the flesh of his thigh.

"Fuck," he hissed, bucking his hips in response to her. He looked down to see her smirking back up at him, a devilish glint in her eyes.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" she purred. "Come on, tell me what I want to hear or I'll stop." Damon growled again, his control about to snap. She bit him again, this time at the crease of his thigh, as she gripped his shaft and squeezed harder.

"Fuck, Elena…" It was as much a warning as it was an expletive as he felt her open her mouth and take him in as deep as she could without choking. He had to get her to stop _now_ before he lost control and fucked her mouth with everything he'd been holding back. He could seriously hurt her if he didn't regain control of the situation. Before she could even blink, Damon had used his speed and strength to pull himself from her lips and lift her back onto her feet; her hands were now against the tiles, her back against his chest.

"You're a naughty girl, Elena," he growled, nipping playfully at her earlobe.

"What are you going to do, punish me?" she quipped back at him, wiggling her hips as she felt his engorged cock probing her entrance. He grinned wickedly against her skin, nipping at her neck before pulling his hand from her hips.

SMACK!

Elena cried out, her skin stinging from where Damon's hand had made contact with the back of her ass and thigh. She felt a tingle shoot through her at the sensation and cursed when he did it again. Damon growled, delivering another stinging slap to her ass before sliding his hips forward and pushing into her. Elena pushed back forcefully against him, driving him to the hilt inside of her. She cried out as he hit her front wall, sending a deep sensation flooding through her.

"Fuck, Damon," she moaned, circling and rocking her hips against him to get as much friction as she possibly could. Damon reached one hand around to rub her clit again, pumping his hips into her harder in an effort to distract himself from the pulse at her neck. It would be so easy for him to sink his teeth into her, to taste that sweet ambrosia while he fucked her senseless. She tilted her head to the side, almost as if she could read his mind and was giving him permission. Damon shut his eyes against that image, refusing to give in. He would not claim her in the shower, no matter how badly he wanted to. She was not, after all, like any of his other conquests; when he claimed her she would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was his _forever_.

"Damon," she cried out, snapping him out of his thoughts and back to reality. Fuck, she was close; he could feel her walls tightening around him and knew his own release would follow just as quickly. He worked his hand against her, determined to bring her with him as he jerked his hips and started to let go. She threw her head forward, exposing her neck; Damon couldn't help himself. As his hips surged forward to spill his seed deep inside her, he bit down where her neck and shoulder met; though he kept his fangs safely retracted. She trembled and shook against him, her nails actually scraping against the tiles and she thrashed her head back letting out a purely primal cry of satisfaction as she came with him. Damon slowed his movements inside her, the hand at her hip coming up to stroke her hair as he placed soft kisses over her neck; soothing the spot he'd marked with his blunt teeth.

"That was…" she practically panted; unable yet to catch her breath.

"Amazing? Mind-blowing? _Incredible?_" he suggested, that seductively teasing tone back almost instantly. Elena rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile.

"All of the above," she purred, shivering when he leaned forward to nuzzle her neck. "But then I always suspected it would be."

Damon arched an eyebrow, tilting his head to look at her face in amusement. "Why Miss Elena, have you been having secret naughty fantasies about me?" he teased her.

"Maybe," she replied, that wicked smile back across her lips.

Damon's hands slid down to her hips again, pinching her ass playfully. "Maybe, huh?" he considered that bit of new information. "And when exactly did _this_ start?" he asked.

She shook her head, placing her hands at his wrists and sliding herself away from him and the wall. "Uh uh," she taunted. "That's for me to know and you to never find out!" She succeeded in pulling away from him and moved for the door. She knew he could keep her in here with him if he'd really wanted to, but she also knew he loved a good chase. As if to prove her point, he suddenly turned off the shower and pretended to let her think she'd escaped him as she bolted for the bedroom, giggling. In a second he had caught up with her, pulling her into his arms again; her back flush against his chest and tickling her sides. She let out a loud squeal of laughter as he 'tortured' her.

"Tell me when, Elena," he said, playfully nipping at her neck and shoulders.

"Never," she managed to get out through fits of laughter.

Damon picked her up and set her onto the bed, pinning her to the mattress. She writhed under him as his hands found a particularly ticklish spot by her hip bone. "Tell me," he said again; he was enjoying watching her squirm. This was almost as good as having her crying his name in the throes of passion; almost. Elena was gasping for breath, tears springing to her eyes and she finally held her hands up in surrender.

"Okay, I'll tell," she gasped. Damon let her up and she blushed. "It was in Georgia," she admitted.

Damon hadn't expected that. "That long ago?" he said, surprised.

Elena shrugged. "What can I say? Bree said you were good in the sack; I was a little curious."

"You could have asked Caroline," Damon teased without thinking. Elena's smile faded and he realized his mistake immediately. "Sorry," he apologized.

She shrugged. "Caroline wouldn't know good sex from bad, though she might figure it out if she hooks up with your brother."

"Ooh, did Sweet Little Elena just make a cutting remark about my brother's lack of sexual prowess?" he teased, pretending to be shocked. Elena simply smirked knowingly and he laughed. "I _am_ a bad influence on you," he said.

She shoved at him playfully. "How do you know I wasn't bad before you met me?" she countered. "I did tell you that I used to be more fun, after all."

"Oh, I had no doubts you were a wild child. You certainly knew how to have a good time on our last trip together. Though now that I think about it I probably shouldn't have taken you back to St. Stefan so quickly; something tells me we could have enjoyed ourselves a lot more if I hadn't." He punctuated that statement by placing a kiss on her shoulder, and Elena leaned into him, purring low in her throat. He groaned, feeling himself grow hard again.

Elena's gaze fell to that marvelous organ of his and licked her lips hungrily. "So soon?" she purred in appreciation.

Damon leaned over her, pressing her back down to the mattress again. "I told you I can't get enough of you," he told her before crashing his lips back down to hers. As the lovers engaged in another round, a light came from Elena's jeans pocket; Jeremy's number flashed on the screen as her phone displayed its tenth missed call within the hour.

Another Author's Note: Woohoo! I finished in record time once again. TVD is recording as I type this and there's still half an hour left before it ends so I have plenty of time now to read this over and post it before the hubby comes home from school. THEN I can finally watch "Rose" and get my Damon fix.

So how was the chapter? I was definitely trying to make it as hot as I possibly could (hence, the steamy shower. Lol). Seriously though, how could it not be hot when the words that best describe Ian/Damon are "sex on legs"! I re-watched that scene from "Isobel" when he was playing strip poker and DAMN! That two-second scene of him unzipping those jeans is just too hot for words. Anyway, just watching a few seconds of Damon's sexiest scenes is enough to inspire the dirtiest of lemons, as most of you know all too well ;) I look forward to the praise now, please don't leave me hanging.


	6. Chapter 6: Uninvited Guest

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Diaries, Elena would have remembered and kissed Damon after he gave her the "I love you but I don't deserve you" speech at the end of "Rose". I'll settle for the fanfics, for now. Thanks for the dedication, Tabbycat! Can't wait to read more of "What the Heart Wants" so don't leave me hanging too long!

Chapter 6: Uninvited Guest

Caroline forced a smile on her lips as she brought the breakfast tray down to her mother's room. She'd attempted to make scrambled eggs, since it had seemed like the easiest thing to make. They were a little crispy, but at least the toast wasn't charcoal and she couldn't screw up with the orange juice since that came out of a carton. She'd even gone outside to pick a few wildflowers to put in a small glass vase; even if she couldn't cook, she could at the very least get points for presentation. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, even though it wasn't necessary anymore, she pushed the door open. Liz was lying on her cot, staring at the ceiling; but she immediately sat up, on her guard as she glanced at her warily before turning her head away from her.

"Made you breakfast!" Caroline said cheerfully, trying to break the ice. Liz simply stared stonily at the wall. Pursing her lips and trying not to let it get to her, Caroline set the food down on the side table. Her mother didn't even look at it. "I know I've never been the greatest cook, but I tried, you know?" Liz continued to stare at the wall and Caroline sighed in frustration. "Are you seriously going to just pretend I don't exist?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest to avoid showing how much her mother was hurting her. She'd been an idiot to think anything would change between them; it was no secret that she and her mother had never seen eye to eye on anything. Things had been so much easier when her dad was still in the picture.

Liz chose that moment to pour more salt in the wound that was their relationship. "Yes," she said coldly. "So please go."

Caroline fought back the tears and turned back to the door. Her mother obviously wasn't going to hear anything she had to say; just like all the other times she'd needed to talk. She shook her head, wondering why she'd ever thought this latest drama would actually bring them closer. "As usual, _you don't care,_ got it! Just like before I was a vampire." she opened the door, her voice cracking with emotion as she muttered "It's not like I _died_ or anything."

She heard her mother's soft gasp and had she known any better she would have thought she actually cared. Inwardly she had to laugh bitterly at the irony of the situation; she'd had to actually die before Liz's maternal instincts kicked in. "Are you really _dead_?" she asked, tears springing to her eyes.

Caroline glanced back at her, but didn't turn around. "Yes, and no." she replied softly, about to leave again.

"How is that possible?" she asked.

Caroline considered walking out and muttering "as if you care," in typical teenage apathy, but something in her mother's tone stopped her in her tracks. She closed the door and turned back to the bed and the chair sitting across from it. "Damon," she said simply, meeting her mother's eyes for the first time in, well, ever. "He tried to save me back when I was in the hospital."

Liz closed her eyes, taking this information slowly. "Damon did this to you?" she whispered, anger lacing her words.

Caroline shook her head. "No, he didn't turn me; not on purpose anyway." She closed her eyes and sighed, "Look, it's hard to explain. I don't even really remember since I was pretty out of it."

Liz took a deep breath, recognizing instantly that Caroline was getting flustered; at least that part of her seemed to have remained the same. "How do you _turn_?" she asked.

Caroline stared incredulously at her. "You mean you're on the _council_ and you don't know?"

Liz shook her head. "We never even started hunting until the killings started, and honestly, we were more concerned with ridding our town of the problem than asking questions."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Typical, shoot first ask questions never," she bit out sarcastically.

Liz shrugged. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I guess it never really hit me until I found out you were infected."

"This isn't some disease, Mom, this is my life now. It has been since before I even left the hospital."

Liz nodded. "I know, but you have to understand this is hard for me." Caroline looked down at her hands, feeling like the little girl who had just disappointed her mother all over again. She was surprised when a hand reached out to touch hers tentatively. Their eyes met and Liz forced herself to smile. "But I'm willing to try," she said.

Caroline smiled back; finally they were talking the way a mother and daughter _should_. "Okay," she began. "Well like I said I don't really remember much, but Damon and Stefan filled me in on the details after it happened. Basically you have to die with vampire blood in your system, and then you have to feed on human blood to complete the change or…" she paused, not sure if she should say anything more.

"Or?" Liz prompted her, eyes searching.

Caroline took in another shuddering breath, forgetting once again she didn't need to. "Or else you die," she finished.

Liz gasped, closing her eyes against the tears threatening to fall. "Oh," she choked out in an almost-sob.

"If it makes you feel any better, I would have died anyway from the accident if Damon hadn't saved me," she tried, smiling softly to show her mother she was okay with everything.

"It doesn't," Liz admitted, tears now welling up in her eyes. "It makes it even worse, knowing that either way I would have lost you that night."

Caroline shook her head. "You wouldn't have," she assured her. "Vampire blood…it has healing powers. You only turn into a vampire if you die with it still in your system, and I wasn't supposed to die. I was actually getting better, and if things had worked the way Damon had planned, I would have left that hospital alive."

"But, you…" Liz stopped herself, unable to accept even now that her child had _died_.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, nobody planned on that happening. Like I said, I wasn't supposed to die. Damon's blood had completely healed me, but it was still in my system when she killed me."

"Who killed you?" Liz asked.

"Well, this part is where it gets weird." Caroline said, almost excited now. Her mother was actually hanging on her every word, listening to her talk about the crazy events of the past few months without rolling her eyes once.

Liz smirked. "I doubt that things could get any weirder."

Caroline laughed lightly at her mother's joke. "Well, trust me on this one, okay?"

Liz only nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"Elena came into my room that night, or who I thought was Elena because she looks _exactly_ like her." she said, watching her mother's eyes go wide with surprise.

"Elena has a vampire twin?" Liz said out loud, trying to make sense of it.

"Actually it's way more complicated than that, and I promise I'll explain that later…that is, if you want me to." She watched her mother for signs of her pulling away, but surprisingly she was nodding her head in understanding, so she continued. "Anyway, she told me her name was Katherine and that she wanted me to give a message to Stefan and Damon. Then she smothered me with a pillow until I died, and when I woke up I was so hungry and really disoriented. Nobody knew what happened to me yet, so I was all alone. I didn't know what would happen…and there was this bag of blood…" She decided against telling her mother about the nurse, not wanting to scare her. "Anyway, I completed the change and when Elena, Stefan and Damon found me it was already too late." Her face brightened, wanting to erase the sad look from her mother's face. "But Stefan's been really helping me and Damon too! And Bonnie even gave me this ring so I can be out in the sun and still live a pretty normal life, you know, aside from the needing to drink blood to stay alive…or whatever I am now."

Liz couldn't hide the horrified expression. "You kill people?" she gasped.

Caroline shook her head vehemently. "No, no it's not like that! I told you about the blood bag, right? Well I mainly feed off those. It's not as good as the fresh stuff, but it beats the animal blood Stefan's been trying to get me to drink."

"So you steal the blood from the hospital?" Liz asked, suddenly feeling calmer knowing her child wasn't out harming people at least.

"Damon does," Caroline corrected, wanting to make it clear that he didn't hunt (at least not anymore, but her mother didn't need to know that). "I've been pilfering his supply," she added, a guilty smile on her face.

"So, as long as you have blood, you don't need to kill?" Liz asked, almost hopeful.

Caroline bit her lip. "I want to," she admitted, wanting to lower her head in shame at her mother's reproachful look. "It's my basic nature now. But, on a healthy diet, I _can_ control it," she added. "I'm getting better at it! I'm better than Stefan," she laughed softly. "He's a bit of a problem drinker, a blood-ahoic."

Liz didn't smile, her eyes still filled with concern and sadness. "I don't want this for you," she whispered.

Caroline was surprised at her mother's concern for her, having never really felt it before. She nodded her head. "I know," she replied sadly, and then her eyes brightened again. "But, when life gives you lemons…" There was no sense in feeling sad over things they couldn't change. Besides, for the first time in her life (or was it un-life now?) her mother was actually _there_ for her. She _cared_ and that made everything she'd gone through these past months actually seem worth it. Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs, followed by a loud crash a few flights up; it came from Stefan's room. "Stefan's home," she said in explanation when her mother stared at her in confusion, obviously not able to hear the vampire upstairs destroying his possessions. "I should probably go check on him," she excused herself. "He sounds upset, and I don't think he should be alone."

Liz caught the slight smile on her daughter's lips, but nodded her head and motioned with her hand for her to go. She could tell there was something going on between the two of them, but she wouldn't push Caroline to tell her just yet; they'd only begun to heal their relationship after all. As she watched her daughter shut the door behind her, Liz turned to the food that had been laid out for her. It didn't look too appetizing, but she picked up the silver fork anyway; her daughter had _tried_ after all.

Stefan roared as he sent the table and all its contents flying; the sound of wood splintering and glass shattering was mildly satisfying, but it wasn't enough. He noticed the small photo on the desk in the corner, the one of him and Elena looking so happy together; he practically crushed it in his hands before hurling it across the room to join the rest of his broken furniture. He found the chest by his bed next, wanting to throw that too. She'd left him for his brother, and he felt like destroying every inch of the house; knowing even as he hurled the chest against the wall and left a large dent in the paneling that it wouldn't be enough, it would _never _be enough.

"My, _someone's_ upset!" he heard _her_ voice taunting him. He paused, still gripping the top of his leather chair and nearly tearing through it. How dare _she_ show her face here! He growled low in his throat; a warning. She was lying on his bed, amusement in her cold dark eyes as she smirked at him. He wanted to rip that smile right off her fucking mouth.

"Get out," he growled.

Katherine stuck her lower lip out, pretending to pout. "Now you're just trying to hurt my feelings."

"I'm serious, Katherine," he warned. "If you don't get the fuck out of here right now I will rip your fucking throat out."

Katherine rolled onto her stomach; her breasts thrusting out provocatively from her low cut black V-neck. "Kinky," she winked at him. In an instant he had grabbed her by the throat, his fist clenching. Her eyes widened in fear for just a split second, but being that she was older and stronger than he was, she quickly got the upper hand. She pinned him to the bed, straddling his hips and licking her lips hungrily. "If you wanted to play rough, lover, all you had to do was ask," she taunted.

Stefan fought for control, but she had him effectively pinned underneath her. "What do you want, Katherine?" he growled.

She wiggled her hips in reply, pouting when she didn't get the desired reaction. "I wanted to see you," she purred. "I heard you broke up with my annoying little doppelganger and figured now would be the perfect time to remind you how much better the _real_ thing is."

"Not interested," he bit out.

Katherine wasn't listening; she leaned down, placing a soft kiss at his neck. "Oh, but I think you are," she purred, raking her nails over his chest seductively.

He tried to buck his hips to get her off of him, but she held on, grinding down hard. "Get off," he growled.

"Trying to," she retorted cheekily. When he didn't take the bait, she pouted. "Aww, what's the matter? Still bent out of shape over Damon stealing your girlfriend?"

His eyes narrowed menacingly. "How would _you_ know?" he demanded.

Katherine wagged a finger at him before touching it to his lips playfully. "Silly Stefan," she chastised. "Don't you know by now that I make it my business to know everything?" He opened his mouth and tried to bite the offending digit, earning a glare from her. "If you don't play nice, I'll have to teach you a lesson in manners," she warned him. Stefan glared mutinously back at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You know, I was really counting on today being pleasant," she pouted.

"That makes two of us," Stefan spat out bitterly.

Her eyes glittered with triumph as she smiled knowingly. "It still could be," she purred. "I hear _revenge sex_ is quite popular right now." At his shocked expression, she smirked. "Yes, I know about that too," she taunted. "Of course, Little Jeremy was all too willing to spill the dirt; though I'll admit I had to _persuade_ him a little first."

"What did you…" Stefan gasped, trying to shake her off him again.

"I let him live," she cut him off. "Wouldn't want to upset that moral code of yours," she rolled her eyes. "Besides, he might prove to be useful later."

"Leave him out of this, Katherine," Stefan growled.

Katherine shrugged. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. What do you care anyway? I'd think you'd _want_ to see her suffer after she hopped into bed with your brother."

"She wouldn't," Stefan muttered, though he knew it was a lie.

"She _would_," Katherine taunted. "I can't say I blame her; after all, he _is_ quite a tempting, tasty treat." She shivered in remembrance before looking down at him again. He looked murderous, but she knew he couldn't do anything about it. "Oh, don't get me wrong," she purred. "You satisfied me too, obviously. You're just so gentle and loving, one of many reasons why I chose _you_. But Damon…." She let out a little sound between a growl, squeal and moan of pleasure. "Well, there was a reason I kept him in my bed. He's just so…passionate." She closed her eyes again, as if she was picturing their times together. "Mmm, I bet your little Elena is enjoying herself just as much as I did, or should I be referring to her as _his_ Elena now?" Stefan growled in response, his fingers digging almost painfully into Katherine's bare thighs; her black skirt had ridden up to her hips and most of her lace panties were visible. She caught him looking and smirked. "Gotta say, out of all the centuries, this one is definitely my favorite," she purred, wiggling her hips again so he could feel the dampness on his jeans. "So much less to get in the way…" Her fingers trailed down to the button on his jeans, popping it open and grazing a fingernail down the zipper teasingly. "Come on," she said in a sing-song voice. "You know you want it…" She was about to pull down the zipper when she sensed another presence in the room and paused, rolling her eyes. "I don't recall saying I wanted a threesome."

"Funny, considering your history with both brothers I thought you'd be totally into that," Caroline quipped, her arms folded across her chest as she stood in the doorway.

Katherine's eyes narrowed menacingly at the blonde vampire. "I killed you once; I can just as easily kill you again."

Caroline shrugged her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, completely unfazed. "You don't scare me anymore, Katherine."

Momentarily forgetting about Stefan underneath her, Katherine gracefully moved off the bed, stepping toward Caroline like a cat stalking its prey. "My, we've gotten _brave_ haven't we? You really think you can take me?" she challenged.

"I can hold my own," Caroline replied confidently; though inside she was trembling.

Katherine pretended to examine her nails with disinterest. "I doubt that, but I'll let it slide for now. Besides, why would I waste my precious time killing you when all I really came here for was to see Stefan? After all, he needs comforting now that Elena's off doing such deliciously naughty things with his _big_ brother, and I mean that in _every_ sense of the word. Tell me, is he still as good as I remember? Or were you just another one of his Happy Meals?" Katherine suddenly whirled around to find Stefan behind her, a jagged piece of wood from his demolished table clutched in his fist. She was too quick for him and with a flick of her wrist she knocked it away. "You really need to bulk up on your vitamins," she taunted. Caroline lunged for her as she pinned Stefan to the wall; she tossed the young vampire with ease and turned back to Stefan who was still fighting against her.

"Looks like you've got another secret admirer," she purred, though she glared darkly at Caroline's beaten form against the opposite wall. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," she spat out.

Caroline lifted her chin defiantly. "We're not afraid of you, Katherine."

In an instant she had the blonde pinned against the wall, glaring. "You should be," she growled, releasing her to rush toward the door. She stood in the doorway, glaring at them both. "You _all_ should be." Her eyes locked on Stefan's and she placed a hand to her lips before lowering her palm again to blow him a kiss. "I'll be in touch," she purred at him before disappearing in a blur down the stairs.

Immediately Stefan rushed to Caroline's side, holding her tenderly and staring at her with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded, then her eyes widened in fear. "Mom!" was all she said before she shot downstairs to the basement. She practically burst into tears when she noticed her mother was lying on the cot with her eyes shut, but then she noticed she was breathing steadily; Liz had only fallen asleep. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief; her mother was safe, but how long would that remain the case? A few seconds later she felt Stefan appear beside her. "She's gone," he said simply.

Caroline looked up at him worriedly. "What if she comes back?" she whispered, not wanting to wake her mother just yet. "We can't protect her on our own like this; you saw what happened. Katherine's a lot stronger than us and Mom's…" she trailed off, the tears flowing freely.

Stefan put his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest; he wanted to shield her from everything. "It's alright," he whispered, stroking her hair. "We'll find a way to keep her safe, I promise."

Caroline didn't say anything. She wanted to believe him, but the image of Katherine effortlessly pinning him down was burned into her mind. She knew he'd try his best, even drink their entire blood supply if it would help, but she doubted it would. They'd need more than a few days to wait for him to become stronger, and that was time they just didn't have. As much as she hated to admit it, they needed Damon's help. She just hoped that wherever he and Elena had gone, they'd be able to reach him in time.

"Breakfast is served, my lady," Damon announced as he pulled the cart into the room. Elena gaped at him; she'd never seen so many trays of food in all her life.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me," she blushed, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Why not?" he asked as he busied himself with uncovering the trays of food; there were an assortment of crepes with various toppings of fruit, sliced strawberries with a side of whipped cream, delicious omelets, crispy pieces of bacon and hot buttered toast. He'd even ordered a pitcher of orange juice.

Elena gestured pointedly at the banquet he'd just laid out before her. "Because there's enough food here to feed ten people," she explained.

Damon smirked. "Twelve, actually," he teased. At her raised eyebrow he shrugged. "What can I say? I wanted to spoil you, is that so wrong?" he pouted adorably and Elena couldn't help but smile.

"No, it's just that…nobody's ever done anything like this for me before," she explained. "It's a little overwhelming, I guess."

"You're worth it," he said simply, handing her a plate. "Now, eat up; you're going to need your strength later," he gave her that cocky grin and she rolled her eyes. He could be so sweet sometimes, but he always masked it quickly behind the arrogant smirk and lecherous comments. Anyone else would probably roll their eyes at her and tell her she was crazy for thinking Damon was even capable of having a sweet side, but then she was likely the only one he'd allowed close enough to realize it. She didn't know what made her so special; she hadn't even really _liked_ him before their trip to Georgia. She'd been a little attracted to him in the beginning before she found out what he was, but until they'd spent the whole day together she had only really thought of him as her boyfriend's annoyingly handsome but incredibly evil older brother. That trip had changed _everything_. She caught Damon watching her as she moved down to the foot of the bed and attempted to load up her plate with a little bit of everything; not wanting to seem rude when he'd gone to so much trouble for her. He was smirking slightly, amusement in his eyes and she sighed. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I'm just surprised at your appetite," he teased. His own plate was much smaller in comparison; consisting of only half an omelet and a bit of crepe with an assortment of fruit on top.

"I just don't want to waste anything," she said defensively. "You did order a ridiculous amount of food for just the two of us."

Damon smirked, looking pointedly at his plate and then back at hers. "Yeah, well you're not supposed to sample the entire banquet all at once. You need to _pace_ yourself. Besides, I wasn't expecting you to eat an eight course meal or anything; I just couldn't decide what to get so I just ordered anything that looked good." Elena couldn't help but smile at his almost romantic gesture. Damon caught the look she was giving him and shifted uncomfortably on the bed, suddenly nervous.

"You can be really sweet when you want to be," she whispered softly. She was looking at him so intensely he swore he could feel his own heart beating; though that was impossible. He licked his lips, wanting to tell her just how much she meant to him; how much he loved her.

"Elena…" he couldn't finish. He didn't understand why this was so hard. Why he could say it to her as she slept, but never let her actually hear it. Steeling himself against his emotions, he let the cocky smirk make its reappearance. "You should eat before everything gets cold; don't want you passing out from hunger or anything."

Elena picked up her fork, stabbing it into the portion of omelet on her plate as she attempted to mask the disappointment in her eyes by averting his gaze. She'd been so sure he was going to tell her he loved her, even though she'd already known long before Isobel had told her. She'd felt it when he'd taken her hand and led her down the steps of the Lockwood manor. She'd seen it in his eyes as they moved in the rhythm of the dance, and felt her heart leap in her chest when he'd finally taken her into his arms. Time had stopped, and she had felt like she'd come home. It had unnerved her back then how intense their connection had been; she'd still been fighting her feelings and convincing herself she belonged with Stefan, after all. She hated that things had fallen apart afterward; hated how Katherine had stolen that moment on the porch from her. She still didn't know what Damon had said, thinking he was pouring his heart out to her instead of the evil bitch vampire. She wished that moment had been hers; especially now that she realized that she loved him too, and had for quite a while now. She'd tried to tell him after they made love, and he had stopped her. He'd promised they'd talk, but they hadn't really come close to saying anything that truly needed to be said.

Damon watched the emotions play across her face, wishing he could ignore the pain they brought him. He knew he wasn't being fair to her; she had admitted to having feelings for him and confessed to having wanted him a long time ago, and he couldn't bring himself to do the same thing. It wasn't that he didn't love her; he loved her more than he'd ever loved any woman, more than he'd ever thought possible. He also didn't question her feelings for him, because he could read it in her expressions; hear it in the way her heart always seemed to beat faster whenever he was around her. The question was whether or not he _deserved_ her love. For all his arrogance, Damon often wondered what she even saw in him. Sure, he was handsome, an amazing lover, and could charm even the most frigid ice queen if he wanted to, but he had led a pretty selfish existence, even when he'd been human. Elena was far too good for him, and while he loved having her in his bed and loved _her_, he wasn't sure he deserved to have her after everything he'd done. She'd said it herself last night; he'd _hurt_ her, and he couldn't promise that he wouldn't do it again. He'd _try_ not to, but he had a tendency to upset her even when he didn't intend to. _You don't deserve her_, the voice sounded a lot like Stefan's as it echoed in Damon's mind. He frowned slightly, but forced a smile when Elena looked up at him, holding a strawberry to her lips. There was a generous amount of whipped cream on the fruit and her tongue suddenly flicked out to lick sensuously at it; her eyes met his, a seductive smile graced her beautiful face and he felt himself harden for her again. He leaned in closer and opened his mouth as she offered him the treat; he closed his lips around her fingertips, sucking the juices and the cream from her skin. Her eyes darkened in desire and she moved to place the plate back on the cart, lying back onto the bed in invitation. Damon hovered over her, losing himself in the heated kisses that followed. He may not deserve her, but he would enjoy her for as long as she was willing.

Author's Note: Wow, I actually finished this a day early! It's a good thing too since I'm not sure how much time I'll really have in the next few weeks to write what with my birthday coming up, which everyone insists on celebrating, though I don't really see why turning 25 is such a big deal. I'd much rather have a quiet evening at home with my honey, maybe indulge in my favorite meal of Chicken Parmigiana, garlic bread hot from the oven, and _maybe_ a half-glass of wine as long as I don't end up passing out before I've had my strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Instead, I'm sure all next week is going to be jam-packed with family dinners and drinks with friends and that leaves little time to write. And on top of that, I have a doctor's appointment the day after my bday (Looking forward to that one. NOT!) and then there's the whole packing/moving that has to be done…yeah, sucks to be a grown up sometimes. Anyway, I hope the last juicy lemons were enough to keep you satisfied because the next one isn't for a while. Like I said before, there is an actual plot to this story and we can't always have a lemon. There's still some Delena sweetness though. I need to mention that I've started including things from "Plan B" and re-working the timeline a bit to suit the story. So if any scenes are a little familiar, that's why. Please remember to review! I crave praise for my work since my honey isn't the reading type and I can't exactly force him to read over 6000 words just for my sake. If I did, then he'd actually expect me to go camping "his way" (which is basically toughing it out in the middle of nowhere with no plumbing or opportunity to bathe unless I feel like hiking for an hour to get to the lake). So yeah, I decided it was best to get my praise here than risk having to endure _that_. I'm so NOT an outdoor girl. Lol.

Before I sign off, I just wanted to say that I'm having a lot of fun writing Katherine. She's just so deliciously evil! So if you liked that scene with her taunting Stefan (or any scene I've written so far, for that matter) please let me know. I have my favorites, obviously (I'm the writer, I'm allowed to be biased) but I'm dying to know what yours are. Can't wait to hear what you all think!

Till Next Time,

Temptress Kitten


	7. Chapter 7: Unexpected Alliances

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Diaries, Jensen Ackles (Dean on "Supernatural") would make a stop in Mystic Falls to distract Rose most effectively away from any and all pursuits of our sexy vampire. We also wouldn't be waiting 2 ****ing weeks for a new episode because I'm not that cruel…anymore ;)

Chapter 7: Unexpected Alliances

Caroline listened intently for any sounds indicating that Stefan was on his way back to the boarding house. After filling her mother in on this latest complication in their lives, she'd managed to convince Stefan to gather their few allies, and of course check on Jeremy. She'd volunteered to remain home to protect her mother in case Katherine came back; though she'd also had an ulterior motive. The fact was that whether Stefan wanted to admit it or not, they needed Damon's help. He was the only vampire strong enough to actually have a fighting chance at beating Katherine, or at the very least stopping her from killing them all. The problem was that Stefan was being stubborn and pig-headed about the whole thing and when she'd first brought it up half an hour ago he'd been totally unreasonable. He'd kept saying such eye-roll-worthy things like how Damon wouldn't help them now that he had Elena all to himself and that Damon didn't have the capacity to _care_ about anyone but himself. Chances were that he'd compelled Elena and they were never coming back, blah, blah, blah. It had all been very Elena-centric and boring, and plus she knew Stefan was just lashing out as usual. He seemed to be in such a foul mood, and she was almost certain it had nothing at all to do with Katherine's surprise visit. Well, none of that mattered anymore! The facts were that whether or not Damon had successfully gotten Elena in bed was a complete non-issue, other than it being totally "ew" of her to be sleeping with both brothers. Of course, she didn't feel her own past with Damon counted because that was all mind-control and okay, so she'd had a little crush on him at first; he _was_ hot, after all. But hotness didn't make up for his being a total jerk to her and so it was a completely different situation for her to have feelings for Stefan now. Besides, _if_ Elena willingly slept with Damon then that meant she had feelings for him like she said she did that night, and that was totally wrong since she was with Stefan at the time. Caroline shook her head, willing herself to focus. The drama of Stefan/Elena/Damon was a non-issue, after all. Hadn't she _just_ told herself that a few minutes ago? Still listening for sounds of Stefan's return, she grabbed her phone and dialed Damon's number; she was sure Elena was still pissed at her so she doubted she'd even get an answer. Besides, it was Damon she needed to get hold of anyway.

"Damon's phone," she heard almost instantly.

"Damon! Thank god you answered! Listen…"

"I'm a little preoccupied right now. You know what to do." His voicemail cut her off. Groaning in frustration, she waited for the tell-tale beep. Unfortunately just as she was about to leave a message, Stefan chose that moment to walk in. She quickly hung up the phone and hoped he hadn't heard anything.

"Hey," she said, giving him her best "everything's okay and I totally wasn't up to anything" smile. "How's Jeremy?"

Stefan shrugged, moving to sit down in the leather armchair close to the fireplace after pouring himself a drink. "He's a little shaken up, bruised a bit, but other than that he's fine. Katherine wasn't really interested in him; she just wanted answers."

Caroline breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good, I guess. I mean, as long as he wasn't hurt, right?"

Stefan frowned. "Nothing where Katherine's concerned is ever that simple," he said grimly. "She wasn't exactly subtle when she asked him where Elena and Damon were, and I'm not so sure it was just idle curiosity. She's up to something."

"When has she _not_ been," Caroline rolled her eyes. Stefan didn't even crack a smile. She sighed, moving to sit on the sofa across from him. "Look," she said softly. "Whatever Katherine's up to, we'll stop it. You talked to Ric and Bonnie, right?"

Stefan nodded. "They said they'd be over here soon."

Caroline grinned. "Good!" she said cheerfully. "See? We've got her outnumbered. Bonnie's got that whole witchy mojo thing going for her, and you said Alaric's some kind of vampire slayer, or hunter or whatever. Add you, me, and Damon and the bitch is toast!"

Stefan's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched at the mention of his brother. "Damon's not in this," he growled.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Look, I know he's not your favorite person or whatever, but we need him."

"No!" Stefan shouted, shattering his glass of bourbon against the wall.

Caroline jumped slightly at his sudden anger, suddenly afraid to provoke him further. "Okay," she squeaked, holding her hands up in surrender. "I get it, no mentions of the D word, I promise."

Stefan sighed and ran an agitated hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry. I kind of lost it for a minute," he apologized.

Caroline forced herself to smile reassuringly. "Hey, it's okay. I shouldn't have said anything, considering…well, _everything_." He looked about ready to throw another tantrum like he'd done in his room earlier, so Caroline thought it best to change the subject. "So…what now?" she asked.

Stefan looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Caroline sighed. Clearly she'd have to just bite the bullet on this one. "Well, clearly there's something going on, with us, I mean…" she trailed off. "I knew I should have just gone with the speech," she muttered under her breath.

Stefan couldn't help but laugh. "You had a speech prepared?" he asked her incredulously.

Caroline's face would have turned bright red if she was still capable of it. Instead she looked down, a slightly embarrassed smile on her lips. "Yeah, well I have this habit of saying the wrong thing and…forget it, it's stupid!" She wished she could just crawl under a rock to die and end her misery. Here she was, making a complete fool of herself in front of a guy that until a few hours ago was totally in love with her best friend.

"You're not stupid," Stefan said, amused at her flustered state. At the pointed look she gave him, he smiled teasingly. "Okay, well I'll admit you're a little neurotic at times, but that's just part of your charm. Besides, I think it's kind of…cute." He could have sworn he could feel his face grow hot with embarrassment, even though he knew it was impossible.

"Oh please, I am so _not_ the only neurotic one here Mister! And I'll have you know…" she paused in her rant, the last words he'd said finally resonating. "Wait…you just called me cute," she said.

"You say that with such shock and surprise," he teased, placing a hand over his chest. "I'm hurt."

"Sorry," she said quickly. "It just kind of caught me off guard, is all."

Stefan frowned. "I wouldn't think it should be that surprising," he told her, all playfulness gone from his tone. "I thought it would be obvious considering what happened last night."

"So you kissed me because you think I'm cute? Was that it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to look like his words hadn't hurt and that she was mostly just pissed at him for using her like that.

Stefan shook his head, reaching out to grasp her hand in his. "No, it wasn't like that!" he assured her. "I'm not like _him; _I don't make out with a girl just because I can. There has to be…feelings involved." He was watching her intently, gauging her reaction to his words.

Caroline licked her lips nervously. Here was the reason _why_ he'd kissed her last night. Why he'd held her tenderly as she cried. The question remained, however; what were they going to do now? "Stefan, I…" suddenly there was a sound of footsteps coming closer followed by a loud, impatient knock on the door. Their moment interrupted, Caroline sighed and raced to answer it. Bonnie stood there, the pallor drained from her dark complexion. She looked worried, and Caroline had seen that look enough to know it wasn't a good sign. Something seriously bad was going to happen. She looked at her questioningly, but it appeared that the witch—and Caroline meant that in _every_ sense of the word right now—had still not gotten over herself enough to acknowledge her best friend now that she was a vampire. Instead she walked into the room and stared right at Stefan, who immediately rose from his seat, his expression starting to mirror hers.

"What is it?" He stared at her in concern.

"I ran into Mason Lockwood while I was on my way over here from the Grille," she said as if that was explanation enough.

"And we care _why_?" Caroline couldn't help but ask. At Stefan's reproachful look she shrugged. "What? He _tried to kill us_!" she protested, but stopped when he gave her his Serious Vampire Face.

"What did you see?" he asked Bonnie, trying to stay calm.

Bonnie hesitated. "It's probably nothing, I must have seen wrong or something. I mean, it's just not possible…"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Just spit it out already!" she groaned impatiently, ignoring Stefan's disapproving looks.

Bonnie glared at her, annoyed, but continued. "Well, when I touched him by accident, I saw him and Elena together."

"Well he _did_ have her in a stranglehold last night," Caroline muttered under her breath.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I mean they were…_together_. Like, in bed and everything."

Caroline rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, because that makes sense considering she's not even here," she muttered under her breath, but Bonnie heard her.

"What do you mean she's not here?" she asked, glancing over at Stefan. "What didn't you tell me?"

"She left town last night; with _Damon_" Stefan replied bitterly.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Bonnie exploded at him, her self-righteous attitude making its annoying appearance. Stefan's jaw clenched again and Caroline quickly held up her hands, making a "time-out" sign with them.

"Focus, people, we don't have time to get into that now! Anyway, Bonnie, are you _sure_?" she asked, hoping that she was wrong.

Bonnie looked about ready to have a little tantrum of her own. "Of _course_ I'm sure!" she snapped. "I saw Mason and Elena, and they were rolling around in bed together…unless…" her eyes suddenly widened with realization. "It wasn't Elena I saw," she said slowly. "It was Katherine."

Caroline bit her lip; drawing blood. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, Katherine had to go and get herself a pet werewolf. They were seriously in way over their heads where she and Mason were concerned. Stefan was still bitter and wouldn't willingly accept help from Damon, but she knew it was their only shot at beating Katherine at whatever game she was playing. She wouldn't be able to call him, but if she could just sneak away for a minute or two…let Bonnie keep Stefan occupied with her crazy visions of doom…

"I think I might be able to convince my mom to help us," she suggested.

Stefan and Bonnie both turned to look at her questioningly. She shrugged. "Well, I mean she's been kind of okay now that we've talked a bit, and I know if she knew what we were really up against she'd want to help; she _is_ the sheriff after all. We could probably use her help, and she could maybe even get Mason to cooperate. It's worth a shot, isn't it? And then we won't _have_ to compel her!"

"I suppose we could try…" Stefan considered, nodding his head to give her the green light.

Caroline beamed. "Great!" she said. "I'll just run down and talk to her while you and Bonnie figure out our next move, okay?" Bonnie looked glad to be rid of her forced company; Caroline tried not to let it get to her as she made her way down to the basement. As soon as she was certain that Stefan wouldn't pick up on what she was up to, she pulled out her phone and furiously typed her message.

_Damon, come back asap! Major trouble w/ Katherine! Plz, we really need ur help! PS. Don't tell Stefan!_

She sent the message off quickly, biting her lip anxiously and praying Stefan would forgive her.

Elena giggled as Damon playfully grabbed for her under the sheets to tickle her in punishment for her earlier teasing. She squirmed under them, managing to free her upper body from the tangle of fabric. Damon popped up right behind her, his hair sexily disheveled as he grinned, pulling her back against him. He wrapped one arm around her, nuzzling into her neck and placing a soft kiss on her shoulder. All traces of his usual sarcastic smirk were gone for the moment, replaced with a genuine smile that lit up his entire face; she couldn't remember ever seeing him this happy. It was like the walls had finally been chipped away, and he was letting her see the man she'd always known was there beneath the sarcastic vampire.

"Take it back," he growled playfully, his hand coming up to tickle her ribs. She squealed and tried to kick away from him on the bed; he held her tight against him and she could feel him grinning against her shoulder.

She turned her head and gave him her cheekiest look, "Make me," she taunted. He quickly rolled her onto her back, hovering over her. She giggled as he tried to give her his most menacing glare before swooping down to lightly nibble at her neck. She closed her eyes, shivering as the tingles shot up her spine in response to his touch. She doubted she could ever get tired of him doing this to her. A sudden pinch of his teeth on her shoulder shocked her system and she let out a cry of surprise. "Ow!" she whined, though it hadn't actually hurt.

Damon lifted his head, grinning like the devil. "Say it," he demanded, moving back down to nip at her neck again. She giggled as he tickled her skin, gasped when he hit the sensitive spots. "Say it…" he growled in her ear, his hands sliding up her ribcage to circle her breasts. She groaned when he refused to move those hands to where she wanted them, letting out another high pitched squeal as he moved to tickle her ribs again. She writhed under him, tears springing to her eyes. "Say it…" he said again, making it clear he wouldn't stop torturing her until she did.

"Okay," she gasped out through fits of giggles. "I take it back. You're most definitely dangerous," she assured him.

He grinned. "And I'm not a cute fluffy puppy dog?" His hands moved to tickle her again when he caught the hesitant, wicked smile.

She put up her hands in surrender. "Okay, you're not a cute fluffy puppy…" her eyes had a mischievous glint to them. "Though you _do_ have a tendency to hump women's legs like one," she added cheekily before squirming out from under him.

"Oh _now _you're gonna get it," he growled, resuming his torture.

"Damon," she squealed, trying to get away again. "Stop it," she protested.

He rolled off her, quickly having her spooned up against him again. "Make me," he challenged. His lips touched the back of her neck this time, causing her to let out a low moan. Almost as quickly as their game had begun, it changed to slow, sweet passion as he trailed kisses over the nape of her neck and shoulder. Elena closed her eyes, loving the feel of him against her. It was amazing how easily he could set her senses aflame with just the slightest kiss or caress. She tilted her head back, giving him more access to her; his arms encircled her waist, holding her gently to him in a tender embrace. Elena smiled softly, snuggling back into him and placing her hands over his arms to hug him to her; this was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to do with him, aside from the sex, of course. She had never really considered Damon to be the type to cuddle, having only really fantasized about the wild, passionate sex where he was concerned. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't really thought he was capable of such displays of affection until last night. He'd always been so guarded with his feelings that she hadn't been able to imagine anything close to the playful, sweet and yet still passionate man in bed with her right now. He was completely open to her now, and she loved it; she loved _him_. She paused in her thoughts; wait, _loved_? Since when had her deep attraction and tentative feelings turned into something so serious? She honestly couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it had happened, didn't even really want to; it didn't matter when it happened, the only thing that mattered was that it _had_. Somewhere along the way, through all their playful banter and slight flirtation, she'd fallen for Damon Salvatore. She'd just been too blind, or perhaps too afraid, to see her feelings for what they really were. She could easily blame it on her situation with Stefan, but the truth was that she'd been terrified of her feelings, or rather the _intensity_ of them. Damon seemed to know her better than she knew herself, and he could always tell when she was lying. He could cause her to scream in anger one minute and cry out in pleasure in the next. He also seemed to know what she truly needed before she did; he'd essentially "kidnapped" her in Georgia because he somehow knew she needed a time out from everything, and he'd sat with her near Stefan's cell when he was "de-toxing" because he knew she didn't really want to be alone. He had always been there for her, waiting for her to wake up and realize what they could have together. She couldn't be happier now that she had, and she never wanted this day to end.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," she sighed.

"We can't hide forever," he said.

Elena pouted. "Yes I can," she replied stubbornly.

"What about your friends?" he asked.

"If you mean Bonnie and Matt, they'll get over it, eventually."

"Jenna?"

"I'm eighteen, she can't do anything."

"School?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not exactly a reason to go back."

He chuckled. "Well, at the risk of sounding cliché, _school's important!_"

"I'm sure you could teach me a hell of a lot more than I could ever get sitting in a classroom," she said, rolling her eyes again.

Damon frowned at that, but continued. "What about your brother?" he asked seriously. "Don't you think he'd be a little upset if you didn't come back?"

She sighed, defeated. She couldn't argue with him; not when it came to her brother. "Fine, you win," she admitted. "It's just that…" she trailed off, tears springing to her eyes even as she fought to keep them away.

Damon stroked her hair comfortingly. "What is it?" he asked softly.

She didn't turn around, and somehow not being able to see his face made it easier to ask the question she needed to know. "I was just thinking…well, wondering, actually…what's going to happen when we get back?"

Damon hesitated, unsure of what he should tell her. As much as he wanted to just waltz back into Mystic Falls and declare their relationship to everyone, he knew it wouldn't be that simple. For one thing, there was still the problem of most of her friends, and not to mention her aunt Jenna, hating his guts. Bonnie might be pissed enough to pull that witchy mind trick where his brain feels like it's bursting into flames; always fun times to be had where _that_ bitch was concerned. As for Aunt Jenna, well he could always wait for the vervain to leave her system and compel her to like him and accept him as Elena's new boyfriend, but that really took the fun out of trying to win her over to Team Delena. Besides, he wanted even _that_ aspect of his courtship of Elena to be real. Of course he wouldn't be above getting Alaric to warm Jenna up to the idea a little bit first before he formally announced his most honorable intentions of keeping Elena in the perfect state of blissful happiness and delirious pleasure for the rest of her life, for the rest of _eternity_ if she wished it. He wouldn't tell Elena any of this however, until he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she felt as deeply for him as he did her.

"What do you mean?" he asked, finally responding to her question.

"I mean this…between us…it's more than just a one-time thing, right?" she asked, stumbling over the words.

"Do you want it to be?" he asked, trying not to let on how anxiously he wanted to know her answer.

She nodded. "Yeah, I do," she said softly. "Do you?"

"I think you already know, Elena," he said seriously.

"Do I?" she whispered.

What a silly question, he thought to himself. Hadn't he just proven to her through their many hours of passion together how badly he wanted her? Hadn't he all but spelled it out for her that he was hopelessly in love with her? Had she not realized when Isobel _had_ spelled it out that his refusing to deny her words meant they were true?

"I know I have a reputation as a man-whore, but come on!" he said, his tone sardonic; though as Elena turned around to face him she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that I know you love the thrill of the chase."

He stroked the side of her face, eyes searching hers. "Why is it so hard for you to accept that this is _real_?" he asked her.

"_Because there's a part of me that's terrified of what that means," _she wanted to say. Instead, remained silent, staring into his eyes as if she was trying to compel him to read her mind. He sighed and pulled away from her, moving to get out of bed. She immediately mourned the loss of his touch, staring after him as he moved to rifle through one of the bags she hadn't noticed before on the floor by their discarded clothes. He pulled out a new pair of dark denim jeans, a red tank top and a matching bra and panties set in deep red; tossing everything gently onto the bed.

"Come on, get dressed," he told her. She looked at him questioningly as he threw on his own combination of black jeans and tee-shirt, though she couldn't help noticing he'd neglected to put on any underwear.

"Why?" she asked, worried that he was going to simply turn off his feelings again and take her back home.

He gave her a sexy smirk. "Because I'm taking you out," he informed her. "And as much as I love what you're wearing…or rather what you're _not_ wearing, it's not exactly _appropriate_ attire for what I had in mind."

"Are you asking me out on a date," she asked incredulously.

"Well, _technically_ it's a backwards date, since we sort of skipped the main course and went straight to dessert," he winked at her.

"Okay, so what's the plan for our backwards date?" she teased. "I invite you in for coffee, you drop me off and we have dinner before you pick me up and hand me a bouquet of flowers?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Please, I'm far more creative than _that_."

Elena slipped on the bra Damon had bought for her, surprised that it fit so well. In fact, all the clothes he'd picked for her were the right size; she realized he must have checked the tags in the clothes she'd worn last night and her heart swelled at his thoughtfulness. He could have simply asked her, of course, but she had the feeling he had wanted to surprise her.

"So where exactly _are_ we going then?" she asked, suddenly excited.

"It's a surprise," he told her mysteriously.

"You're not even going to give me a tiny hint?" she asked.

Damon laughed. "Nope," he said, shaking his head. At the sight of her pouting expression, he winked at her. "But I promise you'll like it."

Author's Note: Whee! Another chapter finished a day before my self-imposed deadline! Happy Birthday to me, I hope I get some awesome reviews for this! Anyway, I thought I should finish this today considering I have that doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon and everything. Bleh. This chapter was a little harder to write this time since I hadn't really had a clear picture of it in my head. Well, there was a brief outline for it, but that's more of a guide for what events have to take place in order to tie into the story. As for the actual details and what everyone is thinking and feeling, as well as certain dialogue, that all depends on my inspiration at the time of writing a chapter. For instance, if I want to write a scene like the one in Chapter 5 ;) then all I have to do is ogle Damon's half-naked yummyness. For the kiss in the car, I watched their scenes in Bloodlines and the sexy/sweet kiss Damon thought he was sharing with Elena on Founder's Day. And for _this_ chapter, I watched (and re-watched) the brief flashback in Children of the Damned where Damon's playfully cuddling with Katherine. I have to say, I _love_ his playful side just as much as his sexy side. He just looked so freaking happy in that scene (great job, Ian!) and I could totally see that side of him coming out again with Elena when he finally gets her to admit her feelings. So yeah, after watching that scene I knew I just _had_ to recreate it in my story. I also really like Stefan and Caroline together, especially after their scenes in "Katerina". They have this sort of cute, caring friendship but at the same time I think it could be more than that if Stefan ever gets over his annoying obsession with Elena and Katherine. Re-watching all their scenes so far this season only helped convince me of that even more, and did a lot to inspire their cute little conversation in this chapter. So yeah, my muse was definitely wanting the fluffy romantic stuff this time. I promise there will be lemony goodness in the next two chapters, though. I'm a little psyched that I finally get to write these two chapters since Damon and Elena are finally going out on a totally romantic date! YAY! Please review if you love my story, I thrive on compliments!

Temptress Kitten


	8. Chapter 8: Riding With Damon

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Diaries it would be X-rated and everything that happens in my fics would happen on the show ;)

Chapter 8: Riding With Damon

Horseback riding; Elena still couldn't believe it! She didn't know what she'd been expecting, considering the only pastimes she'd ever seen Damon indulge in had been drinking, womanizing, and making cutting or suggestive remarks; so when he drove them out here seemingly in the middle of nowhere she'd been a little surprised, not to mention a little apprehensive. Damon was no doubt and expert rider; after all, he'd been born in a time when horses and carriages were the most common mode of transportation. Elena, on the other hand, hadn't ridden since she'd been a child; though she doubted the pony at the local carnival even counted. What if she made a complete fool of herself in front of him? She watched a safe distance, from the entrance to the stables, as Damon talked with the owner of the ranch. The older man nodded his head, gesturing for Damon to take his pick of the large animals in their pens. One in particular caught her eye; a great black stallion, larger than the rest of the horses, and bearing a striking resemblance to the horse in "Black Beauty", a movie she'd watched as a little girl. Unlike with Black Beauty, however, Elena wasn't exactly dying to ride this one. He looked a little too big for her; especially since she wasn't even sure she could handle a horse at all. The small white mare in the far end corner looked gentler; she _might_ be able to manage this if she rode _her_. Not surprisingly, however, Damon chose the black one immediately; his face lighting up with excitement upon spotting it.

"I'll take this one!" He announced, turning to look back at the timid girl still standing in the doorway. He'd never figured Elena for the type to be nervous around horses; he found it adorable. He nodded his head, gesturing for her to stand next to him. "They won't bite," he coaxed her, smirking he added, "That's _my_ job!"

As the groom prepared their horse, Elena looked up at Damon, worry in her eyes. "Damon, I love that you put so much effort into our date, but I've never even ridden a horse before." She glanced over at the stallion thrashing slightly in impatience as he was being harnessed. "This one looks a little…_wild_ for me."

"What can I say, I like my horses like I like my women," he winked. At the look of apprehension on her face he smiled reassuringly and took her hand in his, lifting it briefly up to his lips in an effort to distract her. "Relax," he said. "This one only _looks_ mean; nothing I can't handle. Trust me?"

She found it impossible not to when he looked at her like that; his perfect blue eyes shining with such tenderness, such warmth. He laced their fingers together; stroking the patch of skin between her thumb and fore-finger, rubbing in soothing circles with his thumb. She shivered in response, suddenly wishing they weren't under the watchful eyes of the grooms and stable owner at the moment. Clearly their hours of passionate sex this morning and earlier this afternoon had done nothing to satiate her desire for him; it was almost like he was her drug now, a very addicting, delicious drug. The tense feeling left her as he continued to stroke her softly, reassuring that he would keep her safe; she could do this. The horse was suddenly led out, and Damon watched its eyes with intensity, his expressions calm. Elena felt herself tense up again as the animal drew closer, but Damon squeezed her hand gently, his thumb working to soothe her.

"You have to relax, Elena," he told her softly. "Horses are more in tune with human emotions than you might think." As if to prove his point, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an apple, holding it out in his open palm. She watched in amazement as it came up to take the offered treat right from Damon's hand; he moved to stroke its black mane.

"Good boy," he crooned. Turning his eyes back to Elena, he grinned. "See? He's not so scary once you get to know him."

Elena couldn't help but smile and shake her head in amazement; not only could he charm the women of Mystic Falls, but his talents also apparently extended to the animal kingdom. She giggled slightly, suddenly picturing Damon with a bunch of furry kitties. It wasn't such a stretch since he did love pussy.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

She shook her head and replied, "Nothing," a little too innocently. She knew he wouldn't think the softened image of him as amusing; especially after her earlier confession in bed when she'd told him that he was cute, like a big fluffy puppy dog trying to look mean and threatening.

Damon eyed her warily, but didn't push for her to tell him. She'd gotten into this habit of teasing him lately and he was sure she was picturing something as equally threatening to his tough guy image as the "cute puppy" comment earlier. Yes, he happened to have a soft side, but that didn't mean he wanted it advertised to the rest of the world. He did have an image to keep up, after all. Still holding her hand, he guided her closer to the step set in place for her to climb up onto the horse. She still looked a little hesitant, so he gave her his most winning smile and helped her step up onto the small platform. She bit her lip, still unsure of just how she was expected to climb up onto the horse without startling it and having him throw her off. She didn't have to worry because suddenly she felt Damon's hands at her waist as he effortlessly lifted her onto its back, quickly leaping up to sit behind her. Taking the reins he glanced back down at the obviously compelled owner.

"We'll take it from here, thanks," and with that they were leaving the stables behind. Damon drove the horse at a gentle pace, but Elena was still a bit shaky. She didn't exactly know what she was supposed to hold onto since they were riding bareback.

"Lean back into me," he instructed her. She did as he asked, shifting her hips back a bit, nestling herself comfortably between his legs. She felt her pulse start to race when his thighs pressed into hers, his arms brushing her sides as he gripped the reins tighter. Elena found that it was easier to keep her balance in this position, not to mention it felt incredibly intimate; she had to wonder at his romantic courtship of her. Thus far, he had taken her to what could only be considered a resort hotel with a 19th century theme, and now they were on horseback together; it was almost as if he was giving her a taste of what dating him would have been like had she been alive in 1864.

As he led them down one of the trails into the canopied forest of trees, he sighed happily. "I've really missed this," he said. "I haven't had the chance to ride with a lady since I was human. I forgot how nice it can be."

"You used to ride often?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah," Damon smiled in remembrance. "Before the war we had a huge stable full of horses, all pure-bred too. Mine was the best, Nightmare, I called him. He was dark, sort of like this one," he explained, gesturing to their mount.

"He must have been beautiful," Elena said, curious to hear more about Damon's life.

"He was," Damon grinned. "Fast, too! I could out-race anyone, and of course I _did_; used to trick the younger boys into placing bets, promising them ridiculous amounts of money if they could beat me." He frowned. "It nearly killed me the day my father made me sell him; he said it was to help the "cause" but I still think he only did it because he didn't want anything distracting me from my contributing to the war, or he assumed I'd do something stupid like take off on Nightmare and become a deserter." He smirked at that. "Can't say I wasn't tempted," he admitted.

Elena turned her head, arching her back slightly so he would still be able to see over her shoulder. "You know, I'd never really pictured you on a horse," she said.

Damon laughed, amused. "Are you kidding? Back when I was your age horses were like our _cars_."

Elena giggled. "I sometimes forget that you're ancient," she teased.

"Who are you calling ancient?" he said with mock-indignation. "I'll have you know I don't look a day over twenty four!"

She laughed at that. "The years have treated you very well then," she winked.

Damon growled playfully. "You're just lucky we're on this horse, young lady, otherwise you'd be in _big_ trouble."

"Promise?" she purred back at him.

Damon felt the tightening in his loins and groaned low in his throat as Elena wiggled her hips against him cheekily; she knew exactly what that sexy voice of hers did to him and she was teasing him on purpose, the vixen. "Keep that up and I won't be responsible for my actions," he warned.

Elena wiggled against him again; her hand reached behind to slide brazenly up his thigh to cup the growing bulge in his jeans. "If you didn't want me to tease you, then you shouldn't have gone commando," she purred again, licking her lips. It was becoming difficult for Damon to concentrate as her fingertip traced over his hardening length; if they didn't find a place to stop soon he would likely lose all control and take her against any one of the many trees surrounding them. He scanned their surroundings, using his heightened senses to locate the perfect spot for them to rest. It wasn't far, thankfully, and by the sounds around him it was also quite secluded; they would have complete privacy. He turned them off the path, using his own senses to guide them to their destination. Elena looked up at him questioningly. "I know where I'm going," he said, answering her question before she could even ask it. "One of many advantages to being an _ancient vampire_ with a heightened sense of direction," he winked.

Elena believed him; after all, he'd probably been miles away from where her car had crashed last year, and yet he'd still known it was her and had come to her rescue. So who was she to doubt whether or not Damon knew where they were headed? The trees grew thicker the further they went, however, and Elena started to wonder just how good that sense of direction of his really was. It was then that she noticed a small gap between thick trees, just large enough for them to pass through; it led to a small clearing in direct sunlight. She could hear the trickle of running water coming from a small stream; she realized that Damon had picked up on the sound and had simply followed it. Vampire hearing certainly did have its advantages. She felt him let go of the reins and slide down to the ground with a soft thud. He held out his arms to her as she tried to slide down the same way. Her foot caught when she attempted to lift her leg over and she fell sideways, landing not-so-gracefully into his arms. She blushed in embarrassment at her clumsiness, but he surprisingly acted like a gentleman and pretended he hadn't noticed. Instead he shifted her in his arms, sliding her slowly down his body as he lowered to the ground. Elena's hands were flat against his chest, feeling the taught muscles beneath his shirt. She was suddenly tempted to reach her hands into the neckline and tear it open; she could feel every inch of him pressed against her as his hands gripped her hips to keep her close, not that she had any intention of escaping him. The dull ache was already building up between her thighs as Damon bent his head down to her, brushing his lips tenderly over hers. Her hands snaked up his chest to tangle in his hair, silently pleading with him to deepen the kiss. She opened her mouth to him, moaning softly as his tongue slipped inside to brush against her own. As his lips moved over hers, everything else around them melted away until all she was aware of was Damon. His hands; his mouth; the spicy scent of his cologne mixed with the leather of his jacket, her senses were consumed with him. She was barely aware of him backing them up slowly, leading her further into the clearing. She broke their kiss, her hands sliding down to push his jacket from his shoulders; she wanted him, and she wanted him _now_. Her nails raked over his chest through his shirt, tracing over his chiseled stomach and down his tempting treasure trail. Damon was watching her every move, eyes dark with passion. She met his smoldering gaze with one of her own as she slowly sank to the grass on her knees. Her fingers dipped lower, under the waistband of his jeans; she traced a line across the V of his hips before slipping her hand out again to quickly work on freeing him from the confines of his tight jeans. As soon as his massive erection sprung forth, she licked her lips hungrily; giving him a naughty look, as if she couldn't wait to taste him.

"Holy shit, Elena," he gasped at the first stroke of her tongue against his swollen head. She closed her lips around it, slowly pushing him into her mouth and cradling him with her tongue. She took him as deep into her mouth as she could; her throat tensed up a bit and she pulled back reflexively. Elena closed her eyes, willing herself to relax; she could do this, she told herself. She _wanted_ to do this for him. She wanted Damon to scream her name and lose that control he'd been holding onto since their shower this morning; she wanted to drive him as out of his head as he's driven her. Breathing deeply through her nose, she pushed herself forward again slowly, feeling him at the back of her throat. Instead of gagging this time, she forced herself to swallow around him; it was a weird feeling, but it thrilled her knowing that she had complete control at that moment. She drew back, sucking him hard even as she pulled him from her mouth until she was kissing the tip. Damon shivered, his hands grasping her hair convulsively, letting her know she'd hit a good spot.

"Oohh, Elena," he moaned. "Fuck…so good…"

She flicked her tongue out to gather the drops of fluid at his tip; it was a little salty, but she didn't mind the taste. He let out a sharp, gasping cry as she explored him further. Her tongue circled around him, flicking over every inch of his head until she found the little crease above his shaft. She smiled in triumph as Damon's hands tunneled through her hair, his cock twitching as she teased her tongue under the head. He growled low in his throat, but she wasn't satisfied yet; she wanted him screaming. Without any warning at all, she enveloped him once more, taking him deep and swallowing back against his head. Her hand gripped his shaft tightly, her thumb rubbing him in circles as she worked him at a steady pace. She could feel his fingers curling in her hair, trying to pull her off him; she held on, the nails of her other hand raking over his skin as she gripped his firm ass and pulled him to her.

"Fuck, Elena…" Damon growled in warning as his hips began to jerk wildly. If she didn't pull away soon, he was going to lose it.

Elena could feel the rush of fluid filling his shaft and sucked him hard, her tongue pressing roughly up the underside of his length, coaxing him to let go. She was throbbing painfully now, her panties soaked through to her jeans; she rubbed her thighs together trying to relieve the ache, she _needed _him to come _now. _She worked him with everything she had, forcing him to scream her name; it was loud, primal and music to her ears. The hot, sticky fluid shot down her throat and she swallowed convulsively, milking him of everything he had to give her. She barely even noticed the taste; too busy eliciting the growls and moans and shouts of _her_ name from his lips to care. All she could think about was getting them both naked as she let him finally pop out of her mouth; he was still semi-hard for her and she moaned, wanting to feel him deep inside. She rose to her feet, limbs shaking slightly as she slipped her hands under his shirt to stroke his chest. It was like touching velvet over steel, his skin hot to the touch; she wanted to feel it against her. She slid her hands down to his stomach, bunching up the material of his shirt and raising it. She took in a shuddering breath, taking in the beautiful sight of him; his chiseled abs, his perfect pecs, and tantalizingly hard nipples just begging for her attention. She couldn't resist flicking her tongue over one of them, delighting in Damon's surprised reaction to her touch. Elena nipped his sensitive flesh before pulling away to rid him of the last piece of his clothing. He helped her pull the shirt over his head, dropping it into the now growing pile of clothes before moving his hands to her waist. She wished he would just tear the damn thing off her, but considering it was the only shirt she had with her at the moment that probably wouldn't be the best idea. As soon as her top joined the pile, he captured her lips in a searing kiss that left her knees shaking and sent fire straight to her core. Her head was spinning as he slowly lowered her down onto their discarded clothes; shifting them around with his free hand until they resembled a patchwork quilt large enough to provide an adequate barrier between the ground and her skin.

Damon could taste himself on her lips and it was driving him into frenzy for her; apart from biting her, he'd essentially marked her as his, or rather she'd marked herself. He couldn't help feeling possessive of her, especially knowing that she'd never shared such intimacies with his brother. Stefan was too big of a pussy to allow such a thing; he'd probably have been too afraid of hurting her. Damon mentally rolled his eyes; Elena had too much passion in her to waste on his pathetic, innocent little brother. Now that she was _his_, he was determined to unleash it; he would wring every ounce of passion from her, make her scream his name until his brother was only a fleeting thought not worth remembering. He drew back from her mouth, trailing heated kisses along the side of her jaw bone, nuzzling the sensitive patch of skin just below her ear. She shivered in his arms, her fingers raking through his hair. He loved when she did that; he loved everything about her. The way she held him close to her; the sounds he could pull from her hot little mouth; the way she said his name; the way her face lit up when she laughed; hell, even the fire in her eyes when she was pissed about something, he couldn't remember loving any woman as intensely, not ever _her_. Yes, Elena had Katherine's fire, her physical appearance, but he realized a long time ago that she was a far better woman than Katherine could ever be; and he loved her for _that_ too. He savored the taste of her skin, placing slow open mouthed kisses down her neck to her chest. He could feel her pulse racing, could hear her shallow breaths and soft whimpers as his fingers worked the front clasp of her bra; he was glad he'd chosen this one for her. He couldn't resist suckling her through the red satin first before he slowly removed it from her body, determined to draw this out as long as he possibly could; determined to _worship_ her. He may not have been ready to say the words just yet, but he would make damn sure she would _feel_ them.

Elena bit her lip, overwhelmed by her need for him. The ache inside was bordering on painful and the crotch of her jeans was now visibly damp; she was sure he could feel it as he ground his hips into her steadily, trying to ease the pressure as he feasted on her breasts; it wasn't enough.

"Damon," she pleaded, grasping for his hand like she'd done last night in his car. He complied with her demands, popping the button of her jeans and slipping his fingers down into her warm heat. "See what you do to me?" she moaned as he stroked over the tight bundle of nerves, bringing her closer to nirvana.

"Fuck, Elena, you're so wet," he moaned against her skin as his mouth left her breast, lips grazing her quivering belly. The heady, sweet scent of her arousal was driving him crazy; he couldn't wait to taste her again, knowing she'd be dripping wet for him by the time he finally got her panties off.

"Yes…please, Damon…I want it so bad…" she moaned, lifting her hips up to help him as he slowly slid her jeans down her perfect legs.

"God you're beautiful," he whispered, taking in the sight of her. Her long dark hair was all tangled in "sex-hair" curls, her eyes blazing with passion and hooded with lust as she fought to keep her eyes on him. Her skin was covered with tiny goose-bumps, her stomach and thighs quivering as he slid his hand up to press against wet satin. Her nipples immediately puckered into hard little pebbles at his touch and he moved up to nip at one with his blunt teeth. He hooked one finger into her panties, drawing them to the side to stroke her again; he had been right, she was dripping wet and her juices coated his fingers as he slid two of them inside, curling them against her front wall. He brushed his lips over her chest, leaving a hot trail down to the curve of her hip bone. Her fingers were raking through his hair, massaging and scratching his scalp as he built up her anticipation. He placed his mouth on her through the fabric, feeling her tight little bud pulsing beneath the silk. He ran his tongue over it, feeling her shudder beneath him.

"Oh God, Damon…please…" she whimpered, bucking her hips against his mouth. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, trying to lift her hips up to him; her legs were shaking too much, actually bouncing in her efforts to keep them up. She let out a whine of frustration when he pulled his mouth and fingers away to draw her panties down her legs. As he removed the last barrier between them he licked the moisture from her thighs, slowly moving inward toward her weeping core. He moaned at her taste, dipping his tongue between her folds to gather more of her sweet honey into his mouth. Elena's legs were shaking convulsively as she tried to keep them up and spread for him; Damon slid his hands down, lifting her legs up to hook over his shoulders. He massaged her thighs, soothing her tense muscles as he flicked over her clit with the tip of his tongue, not wanting to over-stimulate her.

Elena knew she was practically screaming his name and that anyone on the other trails might hear her, but she didn't care; what he was doing to her felt too amazing to hold back her cries. His lips closed in on that sensitive little bud and she writhed against him, her thighs gripping him, her heels digging into his back. She was aware of nothing but the intense pressure, the shocks of pleasure shooting down her thighs, up her spine, straight to her nipples. She could actually _feel_ them tightening up, tingling with her excitement. It was like their first time, but _better_. She was certain that if he didn't let her come soon, she would never recover her senses; she couldn't decide whether that would be a bad thing or not, she was feeling _too good_ at that moment to care. A more powerful shock went through her as Damon sucked her harder; using his lips and tongue in such a delicious way that she wasn't even sure _how_ he was doing it.

"Da…Da…Damon…" she gasped out breathlessly. She could hardly form the letters of his name on her tongue. Damon had effectively rendered her speechless; that part of her brain having shut down for the moment at least. All she could do was cry out as he gave her the most intense pleasure she had ever experienced. _"More…"_ She was crying now, so overwhelmed with sensation that she couldn't even get her voice to work for her anymore. She gripped his head, tugging and clawing at him desperately; unsure whether she was begging for him to let her come _now_ or to take her higher. His fingers slipped past her tight walls and pushed up against her G-spot, causing that deep rush of pleasure to shock through her system.

She came hard; her nails digging almost painfully into his skin, her spastic thighs clutching his head in a vice-grip. Her juices coated his hand as he stroked her insides, coaxing her right into another fit of spasms. Elena let out a high-pitched scream as wave after wave of delicious tingles shocked through her like an orgasmic roller-coaster; just when she thought she was coming down, he shot her right back up to the height of pleasure all over again. She was beginning to lose count, her orgasms becoming so continuous that they had begun to blend together into one mind-numbing explosion of pure ecstasy.

He pulled back, sucking her nectar from his fingers before carefully extracting himself from her death-like grip. Her thighs were still trembling as he gathered her in a tender embrace, his hand at the small of her back as he brought her up into a kneeling position. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck, as he gently pulled her forward to straddle him. He slid her down onto him slowly, resisting the urge to impale her on his throbbing cock and just lose himself in her velvet heat; he didn't care if it nearly killed him, he was determined to make it last. He wanted to feel every inch of her envelop him; wanted to draw out every gasp, every moan, and every shiver of pleasure; wanted her to feel his love for her in every cell of her beautiful body as he brought them both to a spectacular climax.

Elena gasped at the feelings he was evoking within her; it was almost too beautiful to describe. He held her tightly, as if he was afraid she would disappear, his fingers stroking her hair as his lips brushed over hers in a tender kiss. It was different this time; slower, sweeter, and far more intimate. One hand slid back down to rest at the small of her back as he rocked his hips up slowly to stroke her sweet spots. She closed her eyes, nuzzling into his neck and breathing him in, feeling their connection in her very soul; this wasn't sex, _this_ was _love_. Her heart soared at the revelation; he _loved_ her. She could feel it in the way he held her, in his tender kisses, the way he lifted her up to slide down onto him at such a tantalizing, slow pace. He drew back from her lips, suckling gently at the side of her neck, nuzzling her ear.

"Elena," he whispered, drawing back slightly. "Look at me, baby." He lifted her hips, drawing almost all the way out. As soon as her eyes met his, he slid back into her. It was too much; she shattered around him as the sensations and emotions he'd evoked consumed her. She felt the tears springing to her eyes as she shuddered in his arms, her heart swelling with unexpressed feelings as he held her, stroking her skin softly. He kissed her shoulders, her neck, her face; any part of her his mouth could reach without releasing her from his tight embrace. She rocked her hips against him; determined to bring him to the edge with her as the waves of pleasure coursed through her.

Damon bit back the words of love he wanted to say; lifting her hips up and down his length in quick, shallow thrusts until neither one of them could take it anymore. With one last deep thrust of his hips, he poured everything he had left into her as she pulsed around him. Elena slumped forward against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder as she nuzzled him and whispered incoherently against his skin. Damon simply held her, placing soft kisses into her hair and stroking her back lovingly. He could sense her body weakening as she finally succumbed to her afterglow and slowly slid out of her; she let out a small whimper, mourning the loss of him inside her. He turned her around so her back was pressed against his chest, laying them both down to their make-shift "blankets". She sighed happily, snuggling into him as she closed her eyes. It was a while before she opened her eyes again, having drifted into that state of post-coital unconsciousness that was inevitable after truly mind-blowing sex with the one you loved. Damon was stroking his fingers through her hair; she wondered how long he'd been doing it.

"Is this your new vampire thing, watching me sleep?" she teased.

"No," Damon made a scoffing sound; she could just picture him rolling his eyes at her. "I was just waiting for you to wake up so I could have my way with you again. You have this _annoying _habit of passing out on me."

"Hey, cut me some slack here," she pouted. "I'm not exactly used to coming so many times in one day; I don't exactly have your vampire stamina, you know."

"Apparently neither does Stefan," Damon quipped; he could never resist an opportunity to make fun of his little brother. "I still have to wonder how in the hell he managed to get the girl both times; at least _you_ came to your senses." He regretted the words as soon as he said them, feeling her stiffen in his arms at the indirect reference to Katherine. "Sorry," he said. "That came out wrong."

"It's okay, Damon, I know you loved her too," she sighed. Now that he'd brought it up, she realized that there were things she desperately needed to know. Damon had been obsessed with getting Katherine back for over a century, after all; if she was going to truly be with him, then she had to know she wasn't just the consolation prize.

He shrugged noncommittally. "I thought I did," he told her. "I was so sure that it was real back then that I was willing to change my entire life for her. I was willing to _die_ for her; but it wasn't real, not for _her_ anyway," he said bitterly. Elena bit her lip, remembering the pain in his eyes the night he'd discovered she hadn't been sealed in the tomb; that she could have come to him at any time, but hadn't even cared enough to give him the closure he'd needed to move on.

"She had to have felt something for you," Elena said. "Otherwise, why would she turn you in the first place?"

Damon chuckled darkly. "I don't think she actually _meant_ to; after all, it wasn't in her plans for Stefan and I to die that night. She'd already struck her little deal with George Lockwood and hadn't counted on us trying to rescue her. Bet that pissed her off." She could tell he was smirking. "Anyway, that's all ancient history; water under the bridge and all that."

"Is it?" Elena asked him seriously.

"Yes," he assured her. She didn't say anything, but he could tell she was biting her lip again; worrying over nothing. He rolled his eyes. "You don't believe me," he stated.

Elena sighed. "Can you blame me?" she asked, a little defensive. "You spent 145 years trying to free her; used Caroline to hunt down Emily's crystal; attacked Bonnie when it was destroyed; threatened to _turn_ me when Stefan wouldn't hand over the grimoire; and snapped Jeremy's neck after Katherine mind-fucked you, and you honestly expect me to believe you're over her _just like that_?"

Damon turned her to face him, staring seriously into her eyes. "You have to understand," he pleaded with her. "I thought she loved me," he whispered sadly. She did understand; despite all his bravado, deep down all Damon had ever wanted was to love someone, and have that love returned. It finally dawned on her that the reason he hadn't told her wasn't just because she'd been with Stefan, but because he didn't think he was worthy enough for her to love him; she wanted to tell him just how wrong he was.

"Damon, I…" she started, but he placed a finger to her lips.

"You don't have to say anything," he told her; misunderstanding her intentions. "And you don't have to worry about me falling back into old patterns; I've realized now that I never loved Katherine, not for who she really was. She lied to me from the very beginning, pretending to be sweet and loving when all she really cared about was herself. Besides, I know what _real_ love is now…"

Elena waited with bated breath, knowing he was about to say the words she'd been waiting to hear for too long now. Unfortunately the sky had darkened considerably during their time together without either of them noticing; and a few droplets of rain suddenly hit her bare shoulder, chilling her skin. Damon groaned at the terrible timing of the weather. Quickly they gathered their discarded clothes; shaking the dirt off as much as they could before slipping them back on. Elena didn't even bother with her bra or underwear; wanting to get her clothes on quickly before the air cooled too much. Damon placed his jacket over her shoulders and tucked her bra and panties into one of his deep pockets before lifting her into his arms and racing back to their horse. Just as he drove them both out of the clearing and back onto the trail, the heavens opened up above them.

**Author's Note:** Okay, that took a lot longer than I planned, sorry! Blame my husband and his constant need for attention. I fully intended to have this finished earlier, but things just never seem to go the way I want them to. I woke up this morning fully intending to write the rest of this chapter. I'd already finished Juicy Scene #1—or what I affectionately like to call "Deep Throating Damon ;) ", and was now working on Juicy Scene #2 since my honey had gone out for the day to run errands and help out his dad. I thought I would have plenty of peace and quiet to concentrate…It's so irritating how I can seemingly have the whole house to myself only to have my phone go off practically every time I'm on a roll! Ugh. The hubby kept calling and texting me all damn day and I'm not allowed to just ignore him because, and I quote "what if (he) was in an accident and that was the last time I'd ever get to talk to him?" Honestly Libra men can be such drama queens ;) Anyway, I had just finished re-reading and fixing up "DTD" since I wanted more naked Damon imagery (I did promise to make this lemon extra juicy, after all), and I was getting to the part where Damon finally gets to the best part of their foreplay…and guess what happens? You're going to roll your eyes at this; my insufferably loveable hubby calls me AGAIN to tell me he and his dad are coming back here. So now I have to get dressed out of my comfortable little nightie and actually put on clothes (not to mention I've just been writing a very steamy scene so I'm really not in any state for receiving company at that moment). And get this; he just so conveniently forgot to warn me an hour ago that they were heading back. It went like this:

_Temptress Kitten was furiously typing away at her laptop; she was determined to finish this scene as Damon was giving Elena the best oral sex she'd received thus far. Temptress was sure this scene was the juiciest, most detailed one she'd ever written, and she couldn't wait to finish this chapter and post it for all her adoring readers, whom she'd promised a swift update just last night. Suddenly, her phone lit up and the lyrics to Warrant's "Sweet Cherry Pie" blasted from the small speakers of the pink Blackberry Curve. She rolled her eyes, knowing that she would have maybe an hour tops before she would be forced to set aside her computer for a few hours at the least._

"_Yes, Darling?" she drawled, unable to hide the sarcasm from her voice. He'd been calling her all day, after all, and she was beginning to get annoyed. Could he not give her even one day of peace and quiet? Was it too much to ask? She briefly considered using her menstrual cramps as an excuse to bitch him out, but considering they were already stressed from their impending move she thought better of it._

_ "You decent?" he asked her; it was their code for her to get dressed into something other than a slinky nightgown or her underwear because he was bringing company with him. She rolled her eyes, inwardly cursing him._

_ "I thought you were going to call me when you were heading out," she said, irritation in her voice._

_ "I forgot, sorry," he said sheepishly._

_ She rolled her eyes at that. "How far are you from the house," she groaned._

_ "We just pulled up, so you should probably go into the bedroom…but first, can you make sure the door is unlocked?"_

_ She hit the Ctrl and S buttons on her keyboard before closing the document and screen. She was going to kill him._

Ugh. So I get dressed into something I can actually go out in b/c not only are they coming back, but my father-in-law wants to take us out for my birthday. I'm not about to pass up a free meal, and it's not like I can pass anyway even if I wanted to; family obligation and all that.

So, needless to say, I didn't get back on the computer until almost 8 thanks to my hubby wanting to use it. Ugh. And then, just as I was working on the actual sex part of this chapter, he had to waltz into the bedroom demanding attention. I swear he can be so annoying sometimes. I tried to explain to him that I didn't want to keep my adoring readers waiting, but does he listen? Nope! It was 10:30 by the time I finally convinced him to go away and let me work. Well, after an hour I finally got to the part where Damon and Elena bask in their afterglow and my stomach started demanding that I eat something. Not to mention I was feeling guilty for neglecting my poor hubby all day. So naturally I had to take a break for a while. Finally around one I put my poor neglected husband to bed and finished the rest of the chapter. Isn't it ironic how the very person who inspires my writing is also the one who likes to distract me from it? Such is the story of my life...

Hope you all appreciate what I went through tonight to finish this. It is now 4 AM and I'm going to sleep now. Be good and review, please


	9. Chapter 9: Warming Up

I dedicate this chapter to everyone who has stuck with me for this long and supported me in my writing. Your rave reviews are sometimes all that can keep me going and are the reason why I strive so hard to update this story every week. So to all of you aspiring writers and loyal readers, this one's for you!

Special Dedications go out to:

Dom for "Black Lemons" and "Just the Way You Are" b/c I freaking love those stories and check my Blackberry every day for updates

BadBoysAreBest for the hot D/E lemon in Chapter 12 of "Memory Serves"

Jenna (Angel's Blue Eyed Girl) for "Aftershocks", "Fool for Love", and "The Auction". If ever there was a lemon writer who inspired me to start writing my own again, you'd be at the top of the list my dear ;)

Meg (LovexAndxFate) for so many wonderful reviews this weekend.

Love Me Some Julian for all the wonderful words of praise. I may not be a professional writer yet, but I'm starting to consider it a possibility someday. Sorry that FF decided to mess with my chapter on you so soon after I posted it. Hope it was worth the extra wait ;)

More dedications will go out in the next chapter, depending on reviews and/or steamy lemons I get to read :) Love you all!

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Diaries, we would have a new episode tonight to watch. Since I don't, this will have to do ;)

Warning: The following hot chapter contains fogged up windows, and naughty fun times. Side effects may include hot flashes, excessive fantasizing, and an insatiable need for your lover that leaves them thoroughly exhausted (but very happy!); especially if combined with the imagery from the last chapter. Enjoy at your own risk ;)

Chapter 9: Warming Up

They were both soaked by the time Damon got them both back to the car. Elena shivered in her wet clothes; her teeth chattering. Damon mentally kicked himself for not planning for a possible change in weather. He wished he'd at least brought a change of clothes for her; it would have been the _smart_ thing to do considering he'd known she was at least going to get the ones she had on a _little_ dirty. The thin fabric of her shirt was clinging to her like a second skin, her hair was drenched, and her jeans were likely freezing her legs. The only thing she was wearing that would provide her any real protection from the cold was his leather jacket; the lining would dry quickly, at least. Damon turned up the heat, wanting to warm the car up a bit to keep her comfortable.

"You should probably get out of those wet clothes before you freeze," he said, concerned for her. He was worried she would catch a chill; since he hadn't a lot of experience with illness he wasn't sure if he could handle taking care of her if she did get sick.

Elena shook her head. "No, I'll be…f…f…f…fine," she stuttered. Damon doubted that, seeing as how she was shivering uncontrollably and her lips were turning blue.

"If you don't take them off, I'll tear them off," he said firmly.

"If y…you want me n…naked all you h…have to do is a…ask," she teased.

Damon rolled his eyes; did she really think that was all he ever thought about? Well, yes, he did think about her naked and being inside her frequently, but this time that wasn't his main concern. "Honestly, Elena! I know you lust after my body, but can you please keep your hormones in check long enough to realize my intentions are entirely honorable this time? I can't have you catching pneumonia or something due to my own stupidity of letting you stay in soaking wet clothes; I don't know the first thing about taking care of a sick human, after all."

"I w…won't…" she tried to protest even though her legs were starting to feel like ice beneath her jeans.

Damon wasn't fooled. "Humor me," he said, moving to take his jacket off her shoulders and drape it over her like a blanket. She rolled her eyes and began to peel off her wet things. Damon frowned as he noticed the jacket didn't cover her as much as he would have liked; her torso would warm up, but her legs would still likely be an issue. As she kicked off her jeans, he'd noticed how incredibly pale her skin was; almost frost-bitten. He made a decision; he would simply race back to the house at the ranch and ask the owner for a big blanket and perhaps if he was lucky, some dry clothes. He was certain he'd heard a young woman's voice somewhere on the property earlier; hopefully she had something that would fit Elena. If not, well then perhaps they had a fireplace or better yet, a dryer; as it was, he didn't want Elena to warm up only to have to put on wet clothes again. He knew he could be quick about it and could always compel the people at the ranch if they didn't feel like cooperating. Sometimes being a vampire was his greatest asset; especially when it came to protecting and caring for the woman he loved.

"I want you to curl up under my jacket," he told her, unable to hide the concern from his voice. She was still shivering as she brought her bare legs up to her chest; it worried him and he didn't like it at all. What if hypothermia set in or something equally life-threatening? He turned up the heat as high as it could go before grabbing the wet pile of fabric off the seat and opening the door, ready to rush out into the downpour.

"W…where?" she started to ask.

"I'll be quick, I promise," he told her. He didn't answer her question; before she could say anything, he'd already shut the door and taken off in a blur of movement.

Elena rubbed her legs furiously, trying to get some feeling back into them. She had no idea where Damon had gone or why he'd decided to leave her when she was naked and huddled underneath his jacket. The heater was helping to dry her skin and hair a little bit, but cold air was still seeping in from under the soft top of the vehicle; one of the drawbacks to him owning a convertible. She stared out the window, straining her eyes to see through the rain-soaked glass for any sign of Damon's approaching form. It was almost as nerve-wracking waiting for him as it had been the last time she'd been in his car during a downpour like this. Of course, at that time she'd been more concerned about Stefan and saving him from the crazed tomb vampires that had decided to torture him. She closed her eyes, remembering how she'd run from the car straight to Damon; he'd been just as soaked then as he was now, and his expression had been that of helplessness. She'd fought against his hold on her, determined to get into the house, and he'd held her firmly in his arms; he'd cared for her safety even then. Even while he was terrified for his brother, he hadn't wanted to risk losing her. Elena hadn't been able to see it then; she did now. She saw with such clarity the depths of Damon's love for her; his determination to keep her safe above anyone else, but at the same time remain honest with her. He didn't sugar coat things; he didn't lie to protect her. He knew she could handle whatever truths he gave her, and if he really was that concerned for her health that he would ask her to remain under his jacket while he ran off to get something, then she wouldn't question it; she was too cold to argue with him anyway.

A good ten minutes had passed before she heard the door open and slam again as Damon got back inside. He handed her a warm fleece blanket and she gratefully pulled it up around her, handing him back his jacket.

"Thank you," she said; her voice was a lot steadier now that she wasn't shivering uncontrollably anymore.

"I managed to get these for you too," he said, tossing her a pair of grey sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt. "Turns out the guy I thought owned the place was just a manager of sorts. The _real_ owner was kind enough to help us out; didn't even have to compel her." Damon smiled to himself, amused at how eager the woman had been to assist him. It was true; he hadn't needed to compel her at all. She'd even offered him a place to wait out the storm; had Elena not been waiting for him, he probably would have taken full advantage of her generosity and then some. She had been unabashedly checking him out the entire time he was there; earning him some not-so-friendly looks from her male companion whom he could only assume was either a jealous boyfriend or jealous husband. She'd fortunately cooled down a bit once Damon mentioned his _girlfriend_ back in the car and had asked for some spare clothes and use of their dryer; holding up Elena's wet things as further proof. The young woman had flushed considerably, but complied easily enough. She'd even given him a thermos full of hot chocolate; he'd sipped a bit of it to warm his own skin in case he needed to help Elena warm up with some body heat. The dryer, unfortunately, had decided to go on the fritz; luckily the lady happily dug out the pair of old sweats and the sweatshirt, saying his girl could keep them since she never wore them anymore. He'd thanked her, slipping Elena's wet things in a plastic bag and as soon as he was out of sight of the young couple he'd used his vampire speed to get back to the car before the rain got the blanket and clothes too damp.

As Elena's skin began to warm up under the blanket, she turned her head to look over at Damon; she couldn't help herself, really. His tee shirt was clinging to every single inch of his muscular torso; with little beads of moisture collecting on his skin. His hair was dripping wet, reminding her of how delicious he'd looked earlier in the shower. He caught her eyeing him hungrily and smirked. "See something you like?" he teased.

Elena shrugged, deciding to play with him for a bit first. "What makes you think I was checking you out?" she said nonchalantly.

"Well, you _were_ staring at me with your mouth half-open," he pointed out.

"I was just wondering how _you_ were planning to dry off," she feigned concern; knowing the cold didn't affect him.

"Were you, now?" he arched his eyebrow in amusement.

She nodded her head, her expression grave. "Of course," she told him in her most serious tone. "We wouldn't want you getting sick, after all."

"And what do you propose we do about that?" Damon smirked, deciding he would play along for now; a vivid Nurse Elena fantasy suddenly popped into his head and he couldn't help wondering if she still had that particular Halloween costume. After all, her blood hadn't been the only thing he'd been lusting for that night; that little white outfit had left very little to his imagination and he'd wanted nothing more than to tear it open and take her like an animal. He _really_ hoped she still had that costume, or at the very least would be willing to let him buy her a new one.

She licked her lips, making her intentions clear as she pulled back the blanket in blatant invitation. Her nipples were rock hard little pebbles, but Damon doubted it was due to the cold; not if that sweet scent perfuming his car was any indication.

"I think it's best if I warm you up," she purred. "But first you'll need to strip down for me; we have to get you out of those wet clothes."

Damon smirked, unable to resist teasing her. "Would you mind turning around first? This show isn't free, you know."

"Nope," she shook her head. "But if I see anything I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it," she quipped.

He couldn't help laughing at that. "I see my sarcastic wit has definitely rubbed off on you; I like it!"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Less talk, more stripping," she demanded.

"Demanding little thing, aren't you?" he said, amusement in his eyes. "Shall I play some stripper music and do a little dance for you too?"

Elena felt her lips tugging into a naughty smile at the thought of Damon gyrating his hips for her. "Maybe later," she purred. "Right now I just want _you_."

Damon quickly peeled off his shirt and tugged at his jeans; he couldn't exactly say no when she used a tone like _that_. "Whatever my lady commands," he said; finally baring that sinfully erotic body of his once again. Elena licked her lips hungrily, her finger crooking in a come-hither motion as she pulled the blanket aside enough for him to be able to join her under it.

"Mmmm," she purred as he snuggled closer, nuzzling into her neck. "That's _much_ better."

Damon chuckled against her skin. "I would have thought I'd have tired you out by now," he teased.

Elena shook her head, sighing with pleasure as his lips brushed down to her collar bone. "It's going to take a lot more than that to wear me out," she moaned softly.

She let out a sharp gasp as Damon quickly dipped his head lower to capture a nipple in his mouth. Her hands automatically slid up his back to rake through his hair. She _loved_ his hair; it was so soft and thick and just the perfect length for her to grasp hold of during their hungry kisses or when he mouthed her body like she was his own private dessert buffet. She held him to her breast, urging him on with her soft moans and little whimpers. Before Damon, Elena hadn't realized her nipples could be this sensitive or how powerfully her body could respond to them being stimulated like this. Stefan had been far too afraid of biting her to put his mouth on her breasts for more than a quick kiss or two, maybe the occasional lick if he was feeling adventurous. She'd even tried playing with her breasts during her slow explorations of her own body, but hadn't really felt any twinges of pleasure there and had quickly moved on to her go-to hot spots to get herself off when Stefan had failed to satisfy her completely. It was as if the true secrets to her intense pleasure had been locked away, and only Damon had the master key. He closed his lips around her nipple, running the tip of his tongue over it in quick flicks. The throbbing ache inside her core flared back to life as he continued to lavish her breasts with attention, driving her out of her mind with need.

"Need you…now…" she whined, her hand reaching down to grasp his already rock hard cock.

She wiggled her hips forward, trying to get closer but it was difficult in the cramped space. Lucky for her, Damon was no stranger to car sex; he pulled back to help her lie down across the seats, placing her legs up over his shoulders to keep them from cramping up. With agonizing slowness, he entered her; she was already slick and hot for him, practically swollen and incredibly tight around him. Her eyes rolled up into her head at the delicious sensation of his thick, rigid length brushing past the tight little ring of nerves. He sank deep inside her; drawing out slowly only to push forward again, keeping a slow but steady pace. Elena thrashed her head from side to side, her hips bucking up to meet his with each thrust.

"So good," she gasped as he angled his hips to stroke against her front wall. "Oh god!" she cried out. "There…yes, Damon…just like that…don't stop…"

She could feel the delicious tingles starting up in her hands and feet; they spread like wildfire, licking every nerve ending in her body until it was humming with pleasure. Her inner walls began to contract around him; gripping him tightly as he drove her over the edge. She screamed his name, her fingers frantically grasping at his arms; nails leaving deep red scratches down from his shoulders to his biceps as he slammed into her one last time before joining her in sweet oblivion.

Damon wanted nothing more than to remain inside her, enveloped in her warm embrace; he knew that the current position he had her in made that all but impossible since the muscles in her legs were beginning to strain from the pressure he'd been putting on them. He placed soft kisses there as he slowly brought her legs down off his shoulders and pulled out of her; some of their combined juices dripping out onto the leather seat. Elena blushed, searching for something to clean herself as she slowly moved to sit up again. Damon smirked, reaching into his glove compartment to hand her the small package of baby wipes.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you planned this," she said, giving him a pointed look.

"Hey," he protested, "you're the one who keeps seducing me every chance you get; I was just being prepared."

"So you prepared for my inevitable seduction but not for the weather?" she teased.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, I probably wouldn't have been caught off guard if _someone_ hadn't distracted me."

She shoved at him playfully. "Because it's _so_ easy for a fragile little human girl to distract the Great Damon Salvatore," she rolled her eyes, only half-joking.

"You're hardly fragile, Elena," he rolled his eyes. "And yes, in your case, it _is_," he told her, eyes raking over her delectable little body; she hadn't bothered to cover up under the blanket, having warmed up considerably from both the heat in the car and their earlier exertions. "Any man, human _or_ vampire, would have to be blind _not_ to be driven to distraction around you; especially when you decide to turn on the charm."

"I'm not so sure about that," she blushed. "If I was truly that irresistible you would have jumped my bones a long time ago."

"I won't say I wasn't tempted," he smirked. "You have no idea what sorts of naughty fantasies I'd dream up with you as the star."

She crossed her arms provocatively across her breasts. "And these fantasies had nothing to do with my resemblance to a certain vampire you were obsessed with?" she asked him.

Damon grinned. "Nope!" he told her seriously. "It was all you, baby. You in that hot little cheerleader outfit, or that sexy nurse ensemble you had on for Halloween. That costume inspired plenty of Naughty Nurse fantasies for weeks; did you not realize how low cut that dress was? I got a really nice view that night…"

She tried to act offended, though she was actually quite flattered that he'd liked what he'd seen. Stefan hadn't even batted an eye when he'd seen her in her costume; hadn't even shown the slightest indication that he desired her. Damon on the other hand had just admitted to blatantly checking her out, even though back then he hadn't even liked her that much; or so she thought. A memory suddenly came back to her; she'd felt his hand brushing over her face in a lover's caress as she'd slept; only to wake up and find no one was there. Had it really been a dream, she wondered?

"Damon, there's something I've been wondering about for a while," she told him seriously.

"Ask me anything you want," he said. "You know I'll always be honest with you."

She licked her lips nervously. "That night, after you tried to compel me to kiss you…were you in my room?" she asked, eyes searching his.

She'd expected him to look away or to say something sarcastic; he didn't. He smiled softly, almost as if recalling a fond memory; and perhaps for him it was. "Yes," he told her. "But how did you know?"

"Just a feeling," she shrugged. "Why were you there?"

Damon didn't know if he should answer her; the truth was that he hadn't even known at the time why he'd gone to visit her. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I was just sort of _drawn_ to you. At first my only intention was to seduce you to piss off Stefan, but that lasted all of two minutes after I got to know you. I _liked_ you, Elena; in my own twisted way. You made me feel almost human again, and you genuinely seemed to care about me. And that night I really wanted to see you, because I was so sure that if given the chance you could feel more for me. You're relationship with Stefan was still so new, after all, that I figured maybe I could convince you to give me a chance without trying to get inside your head. When I got there, you had already fallen asleep; you were so beautiful, so peaceful…" He gave her a wry grin. "Plus, you were wearing one of those sexy little camisoles of yours and you know I'm a breast and leg man!"

Elena rolled her eyes. "And the moment's over," she said dryly.

"Were you expecting me to get all mushy and poetic on you?" he scoffed. "Please, that's Stefan's thing; not mine."

"Having feelings doesn't make you weak, Damon; it makes you human."

"Well it looks like our plans have been rained out," he said, staring straight ahead at the windshield where the rain was pounding heavily against the glass. "Guess we'll have to go with Plan B after all."

Elena could tell he was feeling vulnerable again so she let him change the subject; she would just have to be patient and let him slowly open up to her. He wasn't Stefan; he'd spent 145 years pretending he didn't have any feelings and she knew it was hard for him to deal with those emotions now.

"What was Plan A, you know, aside from taking me out for a _ride_," she said, winking flirtatiously at the last word.

Damon smirked. "Well, it was _supposed_ to be a surprise but since the weather is obviously not about to let up anytime soon I might as well tell you. After we returned from our ride, I was planning to stop by a very expensive restaurant, pick up a bunch of little appetizers and desserts, and then take you to the park to enjoy them all." He looked disappointed, Elena noticed; almost like he'd been looking forward to it even more than the little riding lesson.

"You were planning a picnic in the park?" she asked incredulously.

Damon shrugged. "It's a lot less cliché than your standard dinner date."

Elena sighed. "Plan A would have been nice," she said wistfully.

"We can always try again another day," Damon suggested; it was his way of solidifying his courtship of her without actually having to say anything.

She smiled warmly. "I'd like that," she said. Her stomach suddenly made a gurgling sound indicating she was hungry again and she blushed.

"Guess that's our cue to get dressed and get you something to eat," he teased.

"What about you?" Elena asked, eyes looking deep into his for a moment.

He looked away when he noticed the fine veins in her neck were becoming a little too enticing. "I'll be fine," he said firmly.

Elena shook her head. "Damon, you haven't eaten since yesterday, are you sure?"

He could feel her eyes on him and was suddenly desperate for her to cover herself up. She was offering herself up to him on a silver platter, and it was taking everything he had in him not to accept; she was the woman he loved, not a Happy Meal. When he did feed on her, it wouldn't be about hunger; it would be about the connection they shared.

"Really, Elena, I'll be fine," he smiled reassuringly. At her skeptical expression he sighed. "Look, if I'll stop by the local blood bank later if that will make you happy, okay?"

Elena agreed to let it go for now, but couldn't help feeling disappointed. She didn't know why that was, but his rejection of her offer had stung a little. She knew it was ridiculous, but part of her was a little jealous that he'd fed off of all those other girls—including Caroline. Shouldn't he _want_ to feed off her if he cared about her as much as he said he did? She sighed as she slipped into the dry clothes he'd brought her; wondering just how much longer he was going to make her wait before he finally let her in completely.

Author's Note: Wow…maybe it was a good thing after all that I cut this chapter short. I didn't realize just how long I was making it until I finished today and noticed how many words I've already written. And to think I was going to drag this out with a whole extra two scenes b/c I thought this one scene was a little too short. Lol. I guess sometimes I just don't know what I'm capable of until I sit down at the computer.

Anyway, the reason I decided to cut this short is because unfortunately boxes don't pack themselves and with my husband working all the time I'm pretty much on my own in that chore. I luckily only have to pack up _my_ stuff, however, and since I've moved 3 times now in 2 years I just don't really care about little things like organization anymore. I'm literally just going to toss all my stuff into boxes without worrying so much where it's going to go once I unpack it. Being unemployed right now I have the advantage of just taking my time to find everything again, and as for the hubby, well he hates it when I organize his stuff anyway ;p Since I don't feel like turning into that housewife whose husband is always griping to about not being able to find his socks (if they're not in the drawer then you've misplaced them yourself, Darling), I just try not to touch anything that's not _ours_.

I also wanted to let you all know (in case you don't check out my profile page on a regular basis) that I've started posting little status updates on my profile. So if any of you are ever wondering how a particular chapter is coming along, feel free to check that page b/c I update it almost every time I've finished or at least have been working on a particular scene. It's also an easy way of figuring out just how much longer I plan to take before updating. Along with the little updates, I also have written a little guide to my Lemon Desserts (I decided it would be a fun way to start classifying my various lemons). You can access it either from my website, or the link on my profile page.

That's all for now! I have to start packing the rest of my stuff since we're moving this Saturday. Hope you enjoyed the lemon and I promise there are plenty more to come ;)

Temptress Kitten


	10. Chapter 10: Keeping Quiet

Dedications go out to: AJzkitten69, xAlternativexMusicxGirlx, Angel's Blue Eyed Girl, BadBoysAreBest, Caffeine2, Crimson-Kiss17, Damon's 86, Danni1989, DomOx, EtherealDemon, Lady Ataralasse, Lexipedia, LovexAndxFate, Love Me Some Julien, NecroPrincess7, SouthernBelle706, Toffeenutlatte, and Rosesareforever. If I missed anyone, PM me and I'll get you in the next chapter :)

Preferences given to those who review more than once and/or provide me with yummy smut to entertain and inspire the musie when she's not in the mood to write ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, however consider this story mine. Any dialogues not canon from the show as well as any descriptive sentences are the end result of over twenty years of writing. I have poured my heart and soul into every beautiful paragraph, every perfect sentence, every hot and/or romantic scene, and every funny one-liner. To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. It's not worth it; don't be a thief :)

Chapter 10: Keeping Things Quiet

Katherine practically ripped the little door off its hinges as she wrenched it open; she was close to throwing a tantrum right now, consequences be damned. _Nothing_ seemed to be going her way; she still didn't have the moonstone, her little doppelganger had skipped town with _her_ ex-lover, and Stefan had apparently sought comfort in the arms of that little vampire bimbo—she really should have just staked her when she'd had the chance. If it wasn't for the fact that she was sort of _in a rush_ to accomplish her plan, this little setback wouldn't have fazed her; but _he_ was coming for her, she could feel it. If she didn't have the moonstone and locate her doppelganger in time, well, then she might as well just take off her Lapis necklace and walk out into the sun right now; end her life quickly before _he_ had the chance to kill her slowly, excruciatingly. She refused to die at his hands after having eluded him for so many years; what would have been the point of her running from him in the first place if he were to simply catch and kill her now? Worry marred her beautiful, flawless features; time was running out and she was no closer to her goal now than she'd been three weeks ago. In fact, this latest setback was putting her so far behind schedule she wasn't sure she _would_ be able to pull this off in time; Plans B through Z all required her doppelganger to be here, and she wasn't. Poor Stefan didn't even know where she was, and the Gilbert brat hadn't been able to tell her anything either—not even after she'd threatened to kill him with slow, agonizing torture; more than once, considering he had that neat little ring that would keep bringing him back for more. What a delightful little toy he could be for her; she just might have to make that her Plan C should Elena require a little _persuasion_ to come back home.

As she stepped into her room at Ms. Flowers' Bed & Breakfast, she caught the scent of musk and Axe Body spray and resisted the urge to roll her eyes; Mason Lockwood was lying naked on her white bedspread. She took a few seconds to admire that firm chest, the washboard abs, and that sexy tousled blond hair; he was undeniably hot, except for that insufferably lovesick look in his eyes. She couldn't stand that look, he reminded her of a cute little puppy dog the way he sniffed around her all the time; she couldn't wait until he gave her the moonstone so she could finally put him down like one.

"You know, I'm not supposed to have boys in my room," she said playfully. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Her smile was warm, sweet, tender; but it was all an act. For months Katherine had kept up the façade; Mason thought she was his, he thought she loved him—the only thing she loved was how easy he was to manipulate.

"Just thought I'd surprise my girlfriend," Mason said, giving her another one of his love-struck smiles.

Katherine's lips curved into a smile of their own, though hers was one of sweet victory; he had told her last night that he had found the Moonstone and now he was going to give it to her. Phase one of her plan would be completed tonight, and finally she'd be able to call in her favor with the witch and set everything in motion.

"Does this mean you have a present for me?" she purred, her hips swaying seductively as she made her way over to him.

"Maybe," he grinned; his eyes were bright with excitement as Katherine crouched into a predatory stance and crawled up onto the bed, licking her lips.

"Where is it?" she asked. Her hands slid over Mason's toned, muscular legs, moving slowly up over his knees to rest on his thighs.

"Where's what?" he asked, deliberately playing dumb. Katherine resisted the urge to throttle him; her voice was all sugary sweetness mixed with a hint of seduction.

"My present," she said. "I want it now."

Mason chuckled at her eagerness; he loved how cute she was when she wanted something. She'd be waiting a while though, because he didn't actually have the thing on him at the moment; something about the way she talked about it told him he shouldn't just hand it over without figuring out her plans first.

"I didn't bring it with me," he told her.

Her head had just lowered to his lap, but as soon as he spoke the words she whipped her head back up to look at him; she could barely conceal the fury burning in her eyes.

"Why not?" she pouted, regaining her composure quickly; she refused to lose her temper since she needed him alive if she was to accomplish anything.

Mason shrugged. "I figured, since it's so valuable, it would be best to keep it hidden for a while. In case you haven't noticed, Damon Salvatore has been sort of watching my every move lately."

Katherine resumed her motions; her fingers traced up over his collar bone as she admired the lovely pattern of veins in the thin skin there.

"I can handle Damon," she said firmly. "Just worry about getting the stone and let me be the one to deal with him."

Mason's eyes darkened with barely concealed jealousy. "I'm sure you can," he spat. "But I'd prefer if you didn't."

Katherine smirked in amusement. "You're jealous," she teased.

"He's your ex," Mason deadpanned. "I have every reason to be."

She giggled, one hand coming up to ruffle through his hair. "Aww," she cooed. "You're so cute, worrying about a man that never had my heart in the first place."

"Then why turn him?" Mason countered.

Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "Boredom, I suppose. I kind of liked having both brothers fight over me; they were a fun distraction for me back then."

"So, you don't feel anything at all for either of them now?" Mason pressed, his eyes filled with worry.

Katherine traced over his lips with a perfectly manicured fingertip. "I told you before," she purred. "You're the only one I want now."

Mason smiled at that, quickly rolling them both so that Katherine was pinned beneath him. She let out a little squeal of delight as he quickly took control; he kissed her hard and fierce, nipping at her bottom lip. She raked her sharp nails into his scalp, pulling his hair. He loved how rough he could be with her; having a vampire girlfriend certainly had its advantages. His hands slipped down her shoulders to the neckline of her shirt and he tore it open, tossing the ruined fabric across the room. Katherine's eyes were dark with lust, her gorgeous dark curls splayed across the white pillowcases; she would have one serious case of "sex-hair" by the time he was finished with her. Her skirt was next as he tore it right down the seam at her hips; loving the way she giggled as he feasted on her flesh through her black lace bra. She was now writhing under him, sliding her way up the bed until she was propped up against the pillows and headboard. Mason's lips continued to trail down to leave a path of open-mouth kisses over her stomach. Katherine let out another little squeal of delight and gasped as he pushed her back down onto the mattress; he took her mouth again, biting her as his hands ran up and down her sides and over her pert breasts. She pulled away, her eyes alight with mischief.

"Ms. Flowers is going to think I'm a floozy if I have a man up here," she said. She sounded like a naughty schoolgirl afraid of getting caught; it only turned him on even more.

"Why are you staying here?" he asked. He'd always pictured his Kat as a five-star hotel kind of girl; but then Mystic Falls didn't really have those.

"Because I like this little Bed & Breakfast," she purred. "Don't you?"

Mason had to admit, this place was certainly more romantic than an expensive hotel. His eyes sparkled with his love for her; she made everything sexier, even a floral room that looked like it belonged in Grandma's House.

"I love it," he grinned, leaning down to kiss her again. Their lips met and it was like an electric current running through his veins. She moaned against his mouth, her tongue coming out to play with his. Her fingers were raking through his hair and she pulled him closer; quick as a cat she rolled him onto his back and pinned him down, straddling his hips. The sheets were now a tangled mess around their bodies, but neither really noticed. Katherine lowered her head to his chest, tasting his skin with hungry kisses; Mason stroked her hair lovingly and she moved back up to meet his lips again. As he moved to kiss her again, she pulled away; she hovered over him teasingly.

"Where's the Moonstone?" she purred.

"Somewhere safe," he replied impatiently.

Katherine's brows furrowed and she looked almost hurt, eyes full of a sadness and confusion he couldn't even begin to figure out.

"Don't you trust me?" she pouted.

"I don't trust anyone," he said seriously.

"Why? Are you afraid I'm gonna kill you?" she teased in that purring, seductive tone.

"No," he said. "You won't." He closed his eyes, moaning with pleasure as her lips and tongue traced a path up his neck. Suddenly he felt the pinch of her teeth and winced as she pierced his skin.

"Ow, Kat!" he whined. "Easy."

She pulled back, a slight smirk on her lips. "Did I hurt you?" she cooed. "Sorry." He knew she wasn't when she dipped her head down to lap up his blood; tonight was definitely going to get a little kinky. She ran his tongue over him, moaning at the taste. As she pulled back again her hands stroked the sides of his face and neck lovingly.

"What happens when I give you the Moonstone?" he asked her.

"We'll live happily ever after," she purred. She leaned in to touch his lips with hers again, and then there were no more sounds save for their moans of pleasure.

Elena's eyes widened in shock and horror as she read the little tag discreetly tucked inside the gown she was currently looking at; $300, yikes! She didn't know how Damon could be so casual about all of this; he had a black Armani jacket and matching slacks over his arm and was now searching for a suitable dress shirt. She was certain that any purchases he made for himself would be nothing in comparison to what he would be spending on her; these dresses were ridiculously expensive.

"I don't see why you insisted on taking me here," she sighed.

"Because the nice restaurant, where we will be dining this evening, happens to have a very strict dress code," Damon explained. "Besides, I really wanted to see you in another gown; only this time I get to tear it off you later." He winked, giving her a flirtatious grin; she rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

Elena spotted a gorgeous red satin gown with a plunging neckline and a fishtail skirt; it was just as ridiculously expensive as the last gown and she was beginning to feel very out of place surrounded by all this luxury. She knew Damon wouldn't consider money an issue; he'd been playing in the stock markets since the late 1800s and she had no doubts he'd been smart with all his investments. Still, she wasn't used to being spoiled like this; and letting Damon buy her a dress _this_ expensive just for dinner, and then possibly having him tear it to shreds later, was just insane.

"You should wear this one!" Damon held up a very slinky black cocktail dress that looked like it left very little to the imagination.

"Yeah, it's perfect if I want to spend my evening on a street corner," she glared at him in annoyance.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Please, like I would ever let another man have you! Now, if it was a woman…" he winked suggestively.

She couldn't help shaking her head and smiling in spite of herself. "You're incorrigible," she sighed.

He grinned like it was a compliment. "I try!" he said. "But, in all seriousness now, you should try this on." She glared at him in response and he sighed. "I didn't mean you should wear it out in public; geez, Elena, give me some credit here! I was thinking of a more _private_ place for you to model it for me later."

"And what about my dinner dress, which is likely going to be equally expensive?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

Damon shrugged. "We can get them both; it's not like I'm hurting for cash, or I can always compel the shop owner into thinking it's a buy one get one sort of deal."

She shook her head. "No," she said firmly, though she couldn't hide her amused smirk.

"Aww, why not?" he pouted adorably.

"Because it's pointless to buy a dress this expensive just so you can rip it off me," she told him.

"No, _that_ is what I would consider an _excellent_ reason," he countered. "In fact, you'd be fulfilling a hot fantasy of mine."

She sighed, taking the dress from him and draping it over her arm. "You're insufferable," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You know you love me anyway," he teased.

Elena didn't know quite how to respond, so she simply smiled and resumed searching through the various cocktail and party dresses.

Damon's eyes lit up in excitement; there among the many little black satin numbers, he spotted royal blue silk.

"Okay, I'm being completely serious this time; you have to wear this one tonight," he said. Elena turned her head in his direction and gasped; there in his hands was almost the exact replica of the dress she wore for Miss Mystic Falls, except the skirt came down to the knee and there was a slit up the side that came up to mid thigh. She was about to check the price tag, but Damon slapped her and away and without a word, he ripped it off.

"Damon!" she hissed. "You can't do that!"

He shrugged. "Does it matter? I'm buying it anyway."

"What if it doesn't fit?" she asked.

"Well then I guess you should try it on just to make sure it does," he suggested. She took it from him and shook her head, turning toward the back of the store and the dressing rooms. As soon as the girl showed her into one of the small enclosures with a full-length mirror, she shut the door and removed her comfortable sweats; she stood there in only her new lacy blue bra and panties—a gift from Damon after he'd officially ruined her other set earlier during their (second) quickie in the car. Just as she was about to unzip the dress from the hanger and try it on, there was a light, impatient tapping at her door.

"You decent?" he called out to her from the other side.

She rolled her eyes. "No," she said. She was about to quip back that good things were worth waiting for, but she didn't get the chance. In an instant he had the door open and slipped inside with her; luckily there was enough room for the two of them.

"Good," he said, his intentions obvious by the way he was licking his lips hungrily as he took in the reflection of her in the mirror.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, afraid they'd get caught.

"That set looks good on you," he purred in her ear, causing her to shiver in response. Her back was to him since there wasn't a lot of room to turn around—it was a cramped space, but Damon made it work to his advantage as his fingers lazily brushed the sides of her waist; she jumped, and he smirked knowingly.

"Damon," she gasped as his fingers moved over her skin; they played with the edges of lace at her slim hips, dipping just under the waistband and stroking softly. "Someone will hear us," she protested; though that pulsing ache was already building up inside of her.

His lips brushed over the side of her neck teasingly, causing her to shiver in reaction. "Not if you're quiet," he whispered; his tongue traced just behind her ear and she let out a soft little gasp of pleasure. He smirked against her skin. "You'll have to be quieter than that, baby," he teased.

"N…Not p…poss…sssible," she moaned softly, leaning back against him. His fingers were tracing little circles over the damp lace between her thighs. She let out a little hiss of pleasure as he pulled it to the side and slid his thumb up over that little bundle of nerves.

"You're so fucking hot like this," he growled low in her ear. "All glistening wet for me…"

Elena's eyes were shut tight as she rolled her hips against his hand and gave in to the pleasure he was determined to give her; despite the fact they were in public and could get caught at any moment, somehow that just made what he was doing even hotter.

"Open your eyes, baby," he whispered against her skin. She did as he commanded and gasped at the erotic sight in the reflected glass; her eyes were dark pools of chocolate lust, her skin was flushed and covered in tiny goose-bumps and her legs trembled at the slightest touch of his hand. "I want you to watch when I make you come," he said, eyes dark as the night sky and hazy with lust. He was rock hard, pressing firmly against the inside of her thigh through his jeans and she spread her thighs further apart; allowing him to slide one leg between hers. As his fingers began to move in determined circles against her flesh, she ground shamelessly against his thigh.

"Da…Damon," she whimpered as she tensed up and felt a particularly intense shock of pleasure shoot through her; her toes curled and her fists clenched reflexively with the intensity of it.

"Shhh," he whispered; that insufferably sexy smirk on his lips. "We have to be quiet, remember?" She could sense he was enjoying this a little too much; but she didn't care. After all, he was a bad, bad boy; so sinfully erotic, delightfully naughty, and best of all he was all _hers_.

"Watch, Elena," he said, leaning in to trace his teasingly wicked tongue against the side of her neck and the shell of her ear. "I love watching you come," he purred against her. His fingers slipped inside, pumping slowly up against her front wall as his thumb teased her clit. "I love your every reaction…the way you gasp, the little shudders, the flush of your skin, the way you bite your lip when I touch you here…" He circled his thumb over that spot as if to demonstrate, and her teeth bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out.

"I love how the more I stroke you, the harder your nipples get…" His other hand had been resting on her thigh, spreading her open for him, but now it traced upwards. She bit back another cry as he pinched her through the thin lace of her bra. The little room was now becoming unbearably hot and she could feel the little beads of sweat forming on her skin.

"I love getting you so hot you glisten with moisture for me to taste," he continued. "You have no idea how much I want to taste you right now."

Oh god, his words were getting to her almost as much as the delicious sensations washing over her. She couldn't breathe; she was so _close_. Just a little more pressure and…

Damon quickened his movements inside her, his fingers thrusting against her G-spot in determination to give her the release she needed.

"Fuck, I want to be inside you so bad," he moaned softly. "But I can't; I won't be able to control myself if I take you here. You're just so incredibly tight, like you were made for me."

She was biting the inside of her lip now, drawing blood in her efforts to keep from screaming his name. His hand on her breast stilled and he moved it up to cover her mouth.

"Bite me when you come," he growled, fingers now pumping against her in what could only be considered vampire-speed. God, the way he was working her even the most powerful vibrator wouldn't be able to match him. She shattered instantly, the waves crashing over her like an ocean storm; she bit him so hard that had he been anyone else she could have broken the skin and done some serious damage. At the same time that her teeth sunk into his skin, he bit down on her shoulder with his human teeth. She was more than a little disappointed he hadn't given her a _real_ bite, but couldn't really think about that right now as the tingles were still rapidly firing through her overloaded system.

"Fuck! I want you so fucking bad right now," he growled as he released her. Elena could only nod in agreement; she sank against him bonelessly, thankful that he was strong enough to hold her upright. This was even more intense than the shower, or even earlier in the forest, or in the car, or on the bed that first time—she was starting to lose count of how many times they'd been together by now; today had simply been a haze of sexual pleasure and tender moments and she never wanted it to end. She knew that they'd eventually have to return to Mystic Falls tomorrow, but for now she just wanted to enjoy this time with him without thinking about anything else.

Just then there was a little tap at the door. "Is everything alright?" the sales girl asked from the other side. Elena's eyes popped open, the sound of the girl's voice shocking her right out of her orgasmic bliss. She turned her head, looking worriedly up at Damon in a "what do we do now?" expression. He simply smirked and placed a finger to his lips indicating for her not to make a sound. And then he stepped back, turned around, and opened the door. The girl's face was frozen in shock at the sight of him, but Damon simply stared into her eyes, pupils dilating as he began the compulsion.

"You never saw me," he said quietly so only she could hear him.

"I never saw you," she repeated, eyes glazed over.

"Good," he smirked. "Now go back to the counter and wait until we're ready to pay."

The girl turned away, leaving them both alone in the dressing area again. He turned back to Elena, licking his lips hungrily again.

"Better hurry up and try that dress on so we can get out of here," he winked at her.

Elena quickly slipped it off the hanger and did as he asked, thighs still trembling; she couldn't wait to get back to their room.

Author's Note: Sorry I'm late with this, but life really decided to get in the way of my muse this week. See, I've been feeling a little bit queasy lately as well as ridiculously tired, and I thought maybe I had a bun in the oven. Of course I couldn't take a test until yesterday, so my mind was sort of elsewhere for a while. Turns out I'm not pregnant after all and that I'm just going to have a hellish week of PMS and killer cramps; really looking forward to that. I'll admit I'm a little disappointed even though it would have been _really _bad timing considering we just moved and my husband is still in school until April, has to do his practicum, and then there's a four-year apprenticeship on top of that…but when that clock starts ticking, rational thought seems to go out the window for me. Also, I was struggling with this b/c technically I've already done a mirror scene and I hate repeating myself. Plus, after this week's phenomenally disappointing episode (and the gag-fest that was S/E and D/R at the end) my poor muse didn't exactly feel like playing. I had to read a LOT of fics before I could inspire her to co-operate and help me finish this chapter. I'm really not in writing mode today for some reason, but I promised BadBoysAreBest I'd try to work on "Restless Nights" seeing as how she wrote that totally epic "No I in Threesomes" ficlet that I enjoyed immensely (go read it if the idea of two Damons sends tingles up your spine)! There's some free publicity for ya, S! Also check out DomOx's "The Damons" if you'd like another helping (or more) of a Damon Salvatore sandwich! I'm seriously tempted to whip up one of those too, ladies, just so you know...I trust I have your permissions, of course? ;)

Be Good and Review Please :)


	11. Chapter 11: Good, Bad & Naughty

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, however consider this story mine. Any dialogues not canon from the show as well as any descriptive sentences are the end result of over twenty years of writing. I have poured my heart and soul into every beautiful paragraph, every perfect sentence, every hot and/or romantic scene, and every funny one-liner. To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. It's not worth it; don't be a thief :)

Dedications for this chapter go to my two beta readers DomOx and BadBoysAreBest, and to all who love variety and spice to their lemons.

Chapter 11: The Good, The Bad, and the Naughty

_Warning: This chapter gets a little bit kinky. You may want to skip this one if you're not comfortable with bondage, spanking, or domination. Sorry, the muse wants what she wants, and right now Musie wants Dominant Damon. *licks lips hungrily*_

Damon's eyes were rolling into the back of his head; he was finding it increasingly more difficult to concentrate on their destination as Elena took him deep into her warm mouth. One hand was fisting into her dark locks of hair, now in messy curls around his clenched fingers, and the other hand was gripping the steering wheel so hard he was amazed he wasn't crushing it. Her wicked little tongue suddenly flicked over the patch of skin just under his head and he nearly lost it right then.

"Oh, FUCK!" He threw his head back against the seat and his foot pressed slightly harder on the gas pedal; he had to get them to their hotel _now_, before he hauled her onto his lap and gave everyone in town a free show. She was testing the limits of his control, he could tell; earlier she'd asked him how perfect his reflexes were even with certain distractions, and he'd stupidly challenged her to find out for herself. Not to say he wasn't enjoying himself, he was just beginning to realize that challenging her at this particular moment might not have been the best idea if he wanted to get them back to the hotel in one piece.

He was still in awe of the fire he'd unleashed in her; _this_ Elena was wild, inhibition-free, and had such insatiable lust for him that he was _almost_ having difficulty keeping up with her. If he were anyone else, he would be exhausted by now; she'd quite possibly broken a record with the number of times she'd already had him today.

Elena let out a low moan, letting the vibrations tease and tickle Damon's hard cock as it twitched beneath her fingertips. She tilted her head down, resting it on his lap as much as she could; she was grateful that his leather seats weren't spaced apart so she could lie across them quite comfortably without being seen by the other drivers. She flicked her tongue beneath his head, sucking the flesh between her lips when she felt him twitch again; she _loved_ feeling his reaction to her as much as she loved having control over him in these moments. At first he'd been hesitant to give in, but while she didn't have him begging (yet), he had begun to let down his guard with her.

"You're such a tease," he said, pouting slightly as she pulled back just as he turned the car sharply into the parking lot.

"I'm only a tease if I don't plan to finish what I started," she quipped back cheekily, a smirk on her lips.

"Oh you're definitely going to be finishing this," he growled.

She lifted her head up, moving to sit back upright on the passenger side. "And if I don't?" she arched her brow up, that look of challenge in her eyes again.

"Then I'll have to spank you," he said, his voice just the hint of a threat.

"Well in that case, maybe I _should_ stop," she teased; she moved to open the door and Damon cursed her for leaving him in such an aroused state. He was _not_ looking forward to having to tuck himself back into his jeans right now; _this_ Elena was pure evil.

"Elena," he warned her seriously. "If you don't fix this right now, I'm going to have to punish you."

"Promises, promises," she sighed. She turned her head, grinning saucily before pushing the door open and stepping out of the car.

Cursing again, Damon winced as he tucked himself back into his horribly tight jeans. She was already running back to the entrance of the building, daring him to chase her; oh was she ever going to get it once he had her back in their room. Quickly grabbing their bags from the trunk and tossing the valet his keys, he chased her at normal speed; he caught the door to the elevator just as it was closing. His eyes were dark with lust and full of dangerous promise.

"You've been a very naughty girl," he growled.

She had the audacity to smirk at him in amusement and he suddenly felt a strong urge to tie her to the bed and remind her who was in charge. Unfortunately, the headboard was solid wood and didn't really allow for that; which simply meant he would just have to get a little _creative_.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" she purred seductively, her eyes travelling down to rest on the very prominent bulge of his jeans.

The door closed and Damon slammed his hand against the button leading to their floor. Her back was suddenly pressed against the wall, his hands curving around her hips as he ground into the apex of her thighs shamelessly.

"Keep it up, Elena," he growled low in her ear. "See what happens."

She wiggled her hips and lifted one leg high on his hip, wrapping it around him to pull him closer to that tempting heat. "I intend to," she shot back, her eyes turning the shade of dark chocolate in her lust.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, suddenly lifting her up against him. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist as he carried her and their things to their room in a flash of movement; he'd never been more thankful for vampire speed.

She was up against the door and he fumbled with the card key, cursing to himself as he tried to get the stupid thing into the slot without looking; his lips were too preoccupied with hers for him to actually look away and concentrate on that task. Her hand slid down his chest and abs, cupping him through his jeans and giving him a naughty squeeze. If it wasn't for his tight grasp on her hips, she would have tumbled backwards to the floor the second he got the lock to cooperate and flung the door open. In an instant it was slammed closed again with her pressed hard against it. His hands moved up to squeeze her breasts before reaching into the neckline of her sweater and tearing it down the middle. She gasped against his lips as her breasts met the cool air and her nipples puckered inside the lace of her bra. His mouth was at her neck again, hungrily sucking and licking at her sensitive flesh as he made quick work of tearing her pants and sliding down his jeans. He could already feel the moisture pooling from her, soaking her panties and rendering them useless. Without warning, he ripped them off her; the scrap of lace fell at his feet unnoticed as he slammed into her hot core.

She cried out at the sudden invasion, feeling her walls stretching around his massive length as he pumped into her at a pace that made her insides throb with her pleasure and need. She was so hot right now, and her insides were so swollen with her arousal that every stroke into her body sent her spiraling higher toward release. And then just as quickly as he'd taken her, he suddenly pulled out of her and set her back down so that she was leaning against the door on shaky legs.

"What the hell, Damon?" she spat, glaring at him.

"Naughty girls don't get to come," he told her, his voice suddenly commanding and dangerous. "And you, my dear, have been a very naughty girl," he said as he casually picked up the torn fabric of her shirt and ripped it into two long strips. Her eyes went wide with shock as he suddenly grasped her hands together and held them over her head; he bound them tight with one of the pieces, smirking devilishly at her expression.

"I did warn you that you'd have to be punished," he told her. He watched her face for any signs of apprehension, but was surprised to see only desire and a bit of curiosity reflecting in her eyes. "You can tell me to stop at any time if it becomes too much for you," he assured her, his voice softening for the moment.

Her eyes glittered with challenge and an unbelievable amount of trust as she whispered "Do your worst."

He chuckled darkly, the smirk gracing his lips again. "Remember you said that." He kept her wrists firmly in place above her head with one hand, and moved the other down her throat to the straps of her bra. He ripped the shoulder straps and tore at the clasp of her bra, dropping it to the floor.

"If you keep doing that soon I won't have any underwear left," she gasped, arching into him as his tongue traced zig zag patterns over her collar bone.

"I'll buy you more," he growled, nipping down toward her breast. "Hell, I'll buy out the entire Victoria's Secret franchise if I have to, if it means I can tear something hot and lacy off of you every day," he added as an afterthought before quickly dipping his head down to capture her nipple with his teeth. She hissed in pleasure and slight pain, her hands straining against his firm grasp on her wrists as her fingers itched to tangle in his hair and pull him closer.

"Damon," she pleaded as he cruelly drew away from her chest. He suddenly lifted her into his arms and moved quickly toward their bed; he laid her out across it, pinning her hands above her head and standing back to admire her.

"Here's how this is going to work," he told her seriously. "You're not allowed to touch yourself or move your body in any way that would force me to touch you where you want it. If you want something, you're going to ask for it and depending on whether or not I'm feeling generous, you might get it. You will also leave your hands where I've placed them until I tell you that you can move them, however you are allowed to grip and claw at the sheets if you feel the need to. If I tell you to do something, you do it, and if you break any of these rules, you _will_ be punished. Do you understand?"

She nodded her head, licking her lips in nervous anticipation. "Yes," she said in that breathy voice that sent tingles of pleasure straight to his cock.

"Good," he said, satisfied that she would play his game. "Watch me," he commanded as he slowly peeled off his shirt and tugged his open jeans down and off, gyrating his hips in a deliberate strip-tease. He could smell her arousal growing stronger as he finally stood bare before her and looked boldly into her eyes. She was licking her lips, hungry for him as he hooked his arms under her knees to bring her hips right to the edge of the mattress. She was already dripping wet for him as he slid one finger down to circle her entrance before slowly pushing it inside.

"Damon…" she moaned; her eyes rolled to the back of her head as he added a second finger and thrust them up in a steady pace. She could feel the shocks of pleasure radiating from that spot all the way to her breasts and for a moment she forgot one of his rules, suddenly bucking her hips against his hand to take him harder. She immediately realized her mistake when he drew his hand back, still coated with her juices, and smacked the inside of her thigh just enough to jolt her from her pleasure haze.

"Did I say you could do that?" he asked her in a scolding tone.

She shook her head, biting her lip as the maddening pulse between her thighs drove her insane with her need; he was evil to torture her like this.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," he said.

"No," she whimpered. She wiggled her hips slightly, begging him not to leave her in such a state.

"Consider that your only warning, Elena," he said darkly. "Now, _try_ to control yourself," he growled as he suddenly sank to his knees and brought her to his lips, thrusting his tongue into her as deeply as he could to lap up her sweet nectar.

She could do nothing more than gasp and let out sharp, high pitched little cries as he worked his lips and tongue over her. He pulled his tongue back from her and flicked it against that little bundle of nerve endings, already swollen and pulsing with her arousal so that the slightest touch sent her spiraling close to the edge. He was driving her crazy; every time she got close to coming, he pulled away from that spot or changed the amount of pressure so that climax was always just out of reach. After quite a few minutes of teasing, Elena had decided she'd had enough; she wanted him inside her _now_

"Fuck, Damon…just fucking do me already!" she shouted in irritation. She immediately regretted her words when she saw his eyes darken with that unnamable, dangerous emotion.

"I warned you," he said, smirking as her eyes suddenly widened in shock. He turned her so she was on her stomach and bent over the bed. "Good girls get to come, naughty girls get punished!"

His hand came down on her ass and she cried out in surprise; the back of her thigh was stinging slightly, but other than that it hadn't really hurt. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him; he was watching her for any signs of discomfort.

"Is that all you've got?" she said cheekily, wiggling her hips to let him know it was safe to continue. He gave her a wicked grin and brought his hand down again, a little harder this time but not enough to really hurt her.

"FUCK!" she cried out even as she stood on the tips of her toes to bring her ass higher in the air for him. Damon couldn't believe how much she was into this; it was just more proof that she'd been with the wrong brother from the start, because trying to imagine Stefan capable of giving her the fucking she truly needed was laughable. There was a reason why Katherine had decided to keep both of them for her amusement, after all.

A tingle shot up her spine during the final slap and she felt her slick walls tighten with her need. "Damon, fuck me!" She hissed as his hand came down sharply again; she was certain there would be a red hand print on her ass soon enough, if it wasn't there already.

"You forgot the magic words, Elena," he warned, slapping her one last time.

"Damon, please fuck me!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes in frustration.

"Much better," he growled in approval, moving his hips forward to rub against her.

She gasped in pleasure as he placed his tip at her entrance and pushed all the way into her in one stroke. Her wrists were rubbing together, struggling against the bindings in an effort to grip the sheets and give herself more leverage. With every stroke she was sliding against the covers, causing her nipples to rub against the material with such delicious friction; she was dizzy with the pleasure she was experiencing. She let out another loud cry as she felt the rhythm change from fast and hard to slow and teasing. She could feel every inch of him stroke against her tight walls; the tingles were starting up in her hands and feet again, licking slowly up her legs…building…building…

Damon held her hips firmly, sliding all the way out and pushing slowly back in until she was clenching around him so tight he could actually feel her walls pulsing around him; one more thrust and she'd shatter around him, but he couldn't have that happen just yet. Reluctantly, he drew back again, chuckling at her little whine of frustration.

"Not so much fun to be teased, is it?" he taunted her.

"No," she shook her head.

He leaned forward, rubbing his hard length teasingly between her folds as he brushed his lips against the back of her neck. The action sent shivers down her spine and she arched back against him. "Are you ready to be a good girl now and behave?" he purred.

"Yes," she sighed. She wiggled her hips again, trying to get him back inside her but he pulled back. "Please?" she whimpered; if he made her fucking beg for it, she was more than prepared to do it now.

He was smirking against her neck, she could feel it. "Patience," he rasped. "Now turn around."

She did her best to comply, rolling onto her back and allowing him to move her hips back into their previous spot at the edge of the bed. He slid his hands up her thighs, spreading them apart slowly before moving upward to caress her breasts and roll her nipples. He noticed her wrists were a little bit red from rubbing against her bindings and took pity on her; he carefully slid his hands up her arms and with one tug he tore the fabric to free her. He leaned over her, bringing each hand up to his lips and placing soothing, soft kisses against the insides of her wrists, rubbing them gently with his thumbs. He stared deeply into her eyes, reading something in them that made his heart ache for her; he wanted desperately to tell her, but knew that it still wasn't the right time. Perhaps he was old-fashioned, but he believed in romancing a girl before revealing such important matters of the heart; not blurting it out after he'd just finished tying her up, slapping her ass, and fucking her senseless.

Regaining control of his emotions quickly, he gave her that wickedly teasing smirk that he knew secretly turned her on even if she didn't want to admit it. "I'm gonna rock your world," he promised before kneeling to the floor and pulling her up to his lips again.

He wasted no time, quickly attacking her clit with wild abandon. She let out a high pitched squeal as his lips pressed firmly against that tight little bud, sucking and flicking against it with his tongue until she was seeing black spots in her vision and every fine hair on her body was standing on end. Her thighs convulsed around him, squeezing his head like a vice. He massaged her thighs, trying to relax her tightened muscles as he brought her higher; her toes curled, her fingers twitched, and she could do nothing more than inhale sharp little gasps as the coil inside her tightened, ready to snap at any second.

He could feel how close she was, but he couldn't resist testing that little spring just a bit more; besides, he loved the little sounds she was making right now. She was so far gone that she could do nothing more than let out high-pitched little shrieks that were barely above a whisper; and every time he flicked his tongue over that one little spot _just right_ those little shrieks would reach a higher pitch than before. When he was certain that she could go no higher, he slid his finger into her clenching hot core and sent her crashing over the edge. Her whole body locked up in spasms, her eyes rolled back into her head, and her nectar flowed into his mouth in waves; he drank her in, savoring her sweet taste even as he brought her back up to her peak again.

"Damon, please…I need you," she whimpered, reaching out to grip his shoulders and pull him up to her. He rose to his feet, bringing her legs up at a ninety-degree angle against his chest as he brought one hand down to grip his steel length and tease his head against her slick entrance. Elena gasped at the contact, feeling a lot tighter with her legs so close together; a jolt of pleasure shot straight up her spine as he slowly pushed his hips forward, stroking her inner walls with such delicious friction that she was already spiraling again. She felt so wonderfully full of him as her skin prickled in response to each gentle stroke as he pulled back, then slid slowly forward again; in and out in such a steady rhythm, as if he was determined to draw out the exquisite sensations as long as possible. A war was raging inside her; she ached for him to go faster, harder, end her torment, but at the same time the slow burn he was creating between her thighs was such exquisite torture that she almost didn't want it to stop.

Damon must have sensed her internal battle somehow, because he held her thighs firmly to restrict any movements she might be tempted to make. "We have time," he rasped. "Stop trying to rush things and just enjoy it." He punctuated his statement with a slow roll of his hips that caused her thighs to tremble in reaction and another wave of tingles to shoot through her, straight to her breasts. Her hands were clutching at the sheets, fighting to restrain herself from running them over her hot skin as the prickling sensations intensified. She was beginning to forget how to breathe, and the light from the window was beginning to hurt her eyes; she closed them, and a kaleidoscope of colors danced across her eyelids. She was floating, drifting on a sea of pleasure. She was dimly aware of him sliding out and crawling onto the bed next to her. He sat up on his knees, gathering her into his arms so that she was in front of him, her back to his chest. His fingers came up to stroke her nipples even as the shocks of pleasure still coursed through her.

"Hold on," he instructed her as he suddenly moved his hands down her arms and placed her hands against the headboard. She gripped it tightly to steady herself, not exactly sure if her legs were strong enough to hold her up on their own.

Damon brushed her hair off her shoulder, exposing the soft skin of her neck. He slid back into her in one thrust of his hips, moaning against her skin as he worked to bring them both to a glorious climax. She arched against him, pushing her hips as hard as she could against his in wild abandon. He let her set the pace this time, having denied his own release long enough; he needed to claim her now. He didn't have to wait long; she slammed her hips down again, screaming as she shook and writhed against him. Her fingers lost their grip on the headboard and her nails scraped against it, leaving small scratches in the dark wood. With one last feral cry, she slammed down one last time; the action triggering his own climax immediately. His fangs began to emerge as he lowered his mouth down to her neck; he fought them back, determination winning out over all his instincts to claim her. It wasn't time yet, he reminded himself; even as he felt her leaning back to give him more access to her throat as he pressed his human teeth into her skin for yet another love-bite. He could feel her walls clenching, milking him of his seed as he pulsed inside her.

As they both started to come down from their orgasmic high, Damon gently soothed the bite mark on her skin, placing soft kisses over her neck as he carefully slid out of her and lowered them both into a spooning position on the bed. He heard a soft whine coming from her throat and suddenly worried that he'd been too rough with her.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, softly stroking her hip; which was still a little red from where his hand had made contact.

She shook her head, snuggling against him so that he was nestled between her thighs. "No," she said, pouting slightly. "I just didn't want you to leave me just yet."

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her seriously. She turned in his arms to meet his intense gaze, a soft smile against her lips.

"I know that," she purred. "I didn't mean it like that, though…" color stained her cheeks as she added "I just like having you inside me," under her breath.

Damon couldn't help chuckling at her admission. "Well, we can't _always_ be joined at the hip," he teased her. "Besides, once those endorphins stop rushing through your system you're going to have trouble walking."

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "I've already lost count of how many times I've had you today and it hasn't happened yet. Face it; you're not going to wear me out any time soon no matter how much you rock my world!"

"Baby," he said confidently, "I haven't even _begun_ to rock your world!"

She sighed in pleasure at the thought, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped around her. The languorous effects of her afterglow began to settle over her and she yawned in spite of herself. Damon laughed softly, smirking in amusement.

"Seems like I've worn you out after all," he teased.

"Just a little bit," she yawned again. She smiled softly as she felt him press his lips to her forehead; it was such a sweet gesture and she was beginning to live for those tender moments between them, hoping that they would continue long after their return to Mystic Falls.

"We still have a few hours to kill before we have to get ready for dinner, if you wanted to take a nap," he said softly.

"Sounds good," she mumbled, already half asleep. "Stay with me?" she asked.

Damon grasped a corner of the blanket to fold it over her so she wouldn't get cold. "Always," he promised her.

Author's Note: Just so you all know, this chapter was not in the original blueprints of this story; Musie just sort of came up with it all on her own and refused to let me just turn it into a one-shot. So, instead of another plot chapter to get this story moving along, you all got pure naughty smut. Consider it an early present from your not-so-secret Santa ;) And that reminds me…I've been so sick with all the super-fun symptoms of a period from Hell this week that I completely lost track of the dates and have not even bothered to go shopping yet. Honestly, the days have all just seemed to blend together for the past week and a half as I've been so freaking uncomfortable that I haven't really gotten much sleep. My schedule is seriously messed up right now because I have been up all night tossing and turning on the couch, finally crawling into my bed around 6am or even later. I refuse to disturb my husband from getting a good night's rest, since he's the one who heads off to work every day and then has to go to school. So, being the self-sacrificing wife, I've simply let him go to bed while I stayed up on the couch with my laptop, reading or writing until I finally felt comfortable enough to fall asleep for a few hours (at least until the cramps decided to make a reappearance). Thankfully, the sofa is one of those recliners so I can make a pretty comfortable bed out of it when I have to. Still, I'm exhausted; stupid hormones really did a number on my system this month :(

Now, I'm afraid that I have a bit of bad news in regards to my updates. My husband finishes classes this week and won't be going back until January 5th, so I'm about to have a lot less time to myself. This means I probably won't be able to write as often, and you all might have to make do with the smut I've already given you for a while b/c my man has to come first in my list of priorities, and he wants me all to himself for a bit. He's asked that I take a break from my stories for the next few weeks until he goes back to school. I hate to admit it, but he does make a good case b/c I've sort of become addicted to checking updates, reading fics, and writing almost every day and aside from my "marital duties", I don't really spend as much time with him anymore. Apparently, sex alone cannot sustain a marriage (a difficult concept for me) so I have to step away from the computer and figure out what the hell else I can do (because after spending so many months on here, I've forgotten what I used to do to keep us both entertained that was free and didn't involve X-rated activities). I'll miss you all, but I realize I have a problem right now and I need to fix it. Don't worry, I'll be back in the new year, I promise!

~Carly

**_Added Note:_ _I haven't forgotten about this story, my wonderful readers! I've just been struggling with a bad case of Writer's Block lately. I have a way to make it up to though!  
_**

**As mentioned before in my profile and in certain notes in my fics, I have a LiveJournal account** (drkprncss17) and have recently added **Special Spoilers** accessible to those who wish to read sneak peeks of my stories. In an attempt to inspire my muse, I've been writing bits and pieces of scenes ahead of time and creating the chapters later. So, if you're REALLY itching to read something new, you can add me as a friend and reply to my Who Wants to Be Spoiled? thread requesting I add your name to my list. This is the ONLY place where I will post these scenes ahead of time, so if you want 'em, you'll need an account. At the moment, there are two scenes for Living With Sin, the second being a tender Delena moment just in time for Valentine's Day :)

I am also currently working on a Staroline scene, which will appear in a future chapter for this story. I felt with all the hot Delena action, I should give the Cute Couple some more scenes too since I love them so much (especially after "Daddy Issues")!

I should mention that Damons_86, Toffeenutlatte, and BadBoysAreBest (among others) are already enjoying the perks of being my LJ friend :)

That's all for now. Just thought I'd let you all know that there IS a way to get your story fix, if you don't mind being a little bit spoiled ;)


	12. Chapter 12: Dinner pt 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, however consider this story mine. Any dialogues not canon from the show as well as any descriptive sentences are the end result of over twenty years of writing. I have poured my heart and soul into every beautiful paragraph, every perfect sentence, every hot and/or romantic scene, and every funny one-liner. To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. It's not worth it; don't be a thief :)

Chapter 12: Dinner Pt. 1

Elena carefully studied her appearance in the vanity mirror, running her hands over the skirt of her dress to smooth out any wrinkles. She didn't know why she was suddenly so anxious; it wasn't like it was the first time they'd ever had dinner together. He'd come over to her house (often uninvited) several times; he'd even been the one doing the cooking, since Elena's famous recipe was putting food from The Mystic Grill into fancy dishes. Still, it was the first dinner they'd had since she'd given in to her feelings, and she couldn't help but feel that this one was special. She glanced over her reflection for the fifth time in ten minutes, gently twirling one of her curled strands with a fingertip. What if she'd been wrong about the hair? Katherine's was curly, after all. Perhaps she should have left it straight? But then she had worn it exactly like this for Miss Mystic, and he had looked at her in such awe, as if he was seeing her for the first time. She'd felt like they were the only two people in the room as she met his gaze and he'd taken her hand in his to escort her outside for their dance. She smiled at the memory, her stomach fluttering with nervous excitement as she realized that Damon was waiting for her. She almost expected him to call out to her from their room and make some wise-ass comment about being fashionably late or something.

As she opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, she frowned in confusion; he wasn't there. It was then that she noticed the small trail of red rose petals leading to the bed, and the single red rose strategically placed over a folded white sheet of paper. Elena smiled softly as she picked it up and placed the rose into the vase on the nightstand, filled with the rest of the flowers Damon had picked up for her while she was in the shower. She'd had her suspicions before that he was a closet romantic, but having him hand her a single rose at the Lockwood Manor was just a small token of affection in comparison to this. This was undeniable proof that she was more than just a plaything or a way to piss off Stefan; Damon Salvatore loved her, and though he hadn't said it, actions definitely spoke louder than words. She unfolded the note and a soft blush rose to her cheeks.

_Meet me in the lobby. Take the stairs._

Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest as she realized the significance of him wanting her to take the stairs. She grabbed her blue wrap and silver clutch off the chair, checking her hair and makeup on last time in the full-length mirror before slipping into the matching satin heels and making her way to the door. She could barely contain her excitement, almost running to the stairs before she remembered that running in high heels wasn't the greatest idea. She forced herself to walk at a normal pace, making her way down the corridor and finally arriving at the staircase leading into the lobby. It wasn't nearly as grand as the one at the Lockwood Manor, but Elena hardly noticed such petty details when she locked eyes with the handsome man waiting for her down below. He was breathtaking, wearing almost the exact suit he'd worn that day. Only his tie was different; a dark royal blue that complemented her dress and brought out the color in his eyes. Somehow she resisted the urge to ogle him, knowing that it would only feed his already oversized ego. She smiled warmly as she made her way down the stairs, allowing him to take her hand the second she got to the bottom step. His eyes met hers, glittering with that same emotion she'd seen in them ever since she'd let her guard down around him and allowed him a glimpse of her true feelings. Her breath caught in her throat when he lifted her hand to his lips, brushing over it tenderly in a chaste kiss.

"May I escort you to dinner, Miss Gilbert?" Damon asked, sounding like a perfect 19th-century gentleman; only the mischievous light in his eyes and the trace of his usual cocky grin gave him away, but Elena had the sneaking suspicion that he'd always been like that, even when he was human.

Deciding to play along, at least for the moment, Elena smiled demurely at him and attempted a curtsey; not an easy task while wearing three-inch heels. "I would be honored, Mr. Salvatore," she replied in an airy voice.

Damon attempted to hide his amusement, but Elena caught the look in his eyes. "What?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing," he said. "I was just remembering something."

Elena eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he had been thinking about his past; or more accurately, his past with Katherine. "Did I sound like her just now?" she asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Damon furrowed his brow in confusion. "Sound like who?" he asked, his mind on a completely different topic entirely.

"Katherine," Elena said, trying to sound indifferent but failing horribly. She couldn't hide the jealousy from her voice.

He frowned. "You need to stop that," he told her seriously, grasping her hand firmly in his as he pulled her closer.

"Stop what?" she asked.

"Why do you always assume that I'm thinking about Katherine when I look at you?" he asked, spitting the name of his ex lover out as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Elena shrugged. "Maybe because we're practically twins and you two have a history?"

"Stefan had a history with her too," Damon pointed out. "Do you think he thought of her when he was with you?"

She immediately darted her eyes away from him, looking toward the door, the front desk, anywhere but at him; Damon had his answer, as well as another reason to kick Stefan's ass the next time he saw him. He wasn't about to pour anymore salt into the wound, however. His hand moved up to touch her cheek, turning her head back to look at him. She knew he wasn't compelling her, regardless of the fact that she wasn't wearing her necklace anymore. Still, he had her complete attention as he spoke. "I want you to listen to me very carefully, Elena." His eyes practically burned into hers, as if he was trying to sear the message into her brain "You're _not_ her. You'll never _be_ her, and I don't _want_ you to be. She's a selfish, spoiled, manipulative bitch incapable of loving anyone but herself."

Elena had never wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless as much as she did at that moment. He'd said everything with such conviction; whenever Stefan had made speeches like that the words had sounded so hollow, but Damon made her believe them. It was just more evidence that she'd been with the wrong brother from the very beginning.

"And for the record," he added, wanting to make sure there was no more doubt in her mind as to who he really wanted, "I wasn't thinking about her just now; I was thinking about _you_ in the Founder's Day dress and how much more fun you would have been to escort to all those boring social functions when I was human. The girls I was expected to entertain back then certainly didn't have your fire, or your _passion_." His eyes raked over her appreciatively; his gaze lingering on her chest and the ample cleavage that the dress created. He licked his lips, the cocky grin back on his face. "Not to mention that none of those girls would have allowed me to do half the scandalous things I do to you,"

"And what makes you think I would have been any different?" she asked, annoyed that he would be so presumptuous.

"Because you can't resist me," he said confidently.

"Don't be so sure about that," Elena replied, challenging him with her eyes.

"Oh no?" Damon asked. Without warning he suddenly slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She squealed in protest, pressing her hands against his chest in an attempt to push him away.

"Damon, we're in public!" she hissed.

"We were also in public earlier today in that dressing room," he reminded her. Before she could stop him his hand slipped under her skirt to tickle the inside of her thigh. She gasped, her legs almost giving out when he zeroed in on her most sensitive spot. "Why Miss Elena, it appears you have forgotten something," he whispered huskily in her ear, pretending to be scandalized even as he continued to brush his fingertips over her bare skin.

"Only because _someone_ happened to steal them while I was in the shower," she countered, glaring accusingly at him.

Damon grinned, slipping his index finger teasingly between her legs. "I decided you wouldn't need them tonight," he purred seductively. Just as she was starting to give in to his touch, he pulled his hand away. "Your _resistance_ to my charms is delicious," he said, enjoying his small victory by licking his fingers clean and deliberately looking at her with a wicked grin.

Elena rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully; realizing that he'd deliberately seduced her to prove a point. "You're such an ass."

Damon smirked. "Yeah, but I'm a sexy ass," he teased.

"Are we going to dinner or did I get all dressed up for nothing?"

Damon's eyes immediately fell upon her chest again, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Well I wouldn't say it was for nothing," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively. "You _do_ look good enough to eat right now…and I'm not talking about your _blood_."

"Damon," she said warningly. While his idea definitely had a certain appeal, she was starving at the moment; one could not live on sex alone, unfortunately.

"I'm just teasing you, Elena," he said, linking his arm with hers. "I'm not going to let perfectly good reservations go to waste."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Just where exactly are you taking me that we'd require reservations?" she asked him, feeling uneasy again. It wasn't that she didn't _like_ Damon spending what had to be a _lot_ of money on her, she just wasn't used to it. She'd always paid for herself on dates with Matt, and though Stefan often paid for her, they rarely went anywhere other than Mystic Grill or various parties and town events.

"It's a surprise," he said simply, leading her toward the doors of the hotel and out into the cool evening air.

**Author's Note: **Okay, I know I haven't updated in forever, but for some reason I haven't been able to get into writing the latest chapters of this story and Living With Sin. That doesn't mean I haven't been writing though…

If you're on my LiveJournal or Facebook, you likely already know this, but I've been posting various scenes for future chapters on my LJ. They are only accessible to mutual friends (meaning you add me, and I add you back) but it's seriously worth it to get an account if you don't mind spoilers. So if you're interested, my LJ username is Drkprncss17. Just add your name to the "Who Wants to be Spoiled?" thread or PM me letting me know you would like to be part of that special group and be able to read the various scenes I will be posting from time to time. And remember, I love to hear your thoughts on my work so feel free to leave comments and suggestions. They're like food for my muse, and when Musie is fed, she's willing to work ;)

Hope to see you there!


	13. Chapter 13: Dinner pt 2

Disclaimer and Warning: I do not own Vampire Diaries, however consider this story mine. Any dialogues not canon from the show as well as any descriptive sentences are the end result of over twenty years of writing. I have poured my heart and soul into every beautiful paragraph, every perfect sentence, every hot and/or romantic scene, and every funny one-liner. To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. **Repeat offenders will be reported IMMEDIATELY to Stop_Plagiarism on LiveJournal and your name will be placed on the watch list under all known aliases.** It's not worth it; don't be a thief !

Chapter 13: Dinner Pt 2

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Elena asked, clutching Damon's arm and taking tentative steps as he led her to their secret destination. She could tell he was smirking; she knew him too well not to know his expressions, even if she couldn't see them at the moment. Just as she knew his perfect blue eyes were shining with excitement and unspoken love for her at this very moment as he proudly escorted her into the restaurant.

"Patience is a virtue, Elena," he teased her without actually giving an answer to her request.

"And high heels are hard to walk in when I can't see where I'm going," she countered.

She could sense him rolling his eyes. "I'm not about to let you ruin a perfectly romantic surprise by tripping over your own two feet."

Elena playfully smacked him on the arm she was holding onto and she felt him grinning cheekily back at her. "Stop looking at me like that," she scolded him.

"How do you know I'm looking when I told you to keep your eyes closed?" Damon asked, still grinning.

"I can feel your eyes on me," she replied. "I always know when you're smirking or stealing quick glances when you think nobody's looking."

"Oh really?" Damon asked, intrigued by this admission. Taking advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself he glanced down at the low neckline of Elena's dinner dress; whoever invented halter tops had been a genius! "What am I looking at right now?" he challenged her.

Elena sighed in mock-exasperation. "Can't you go one night without ogling a woman's chest?"

"Now where would be the fun in that?" Damon teased. "Besides, you got all dressed up for me. The least I can do is enjoy the view."

"You're incorrigible."

"Thank you," he grinned.

"It wasn't a compliment," she informed him. "Seriously, can I open my eyes now? I feel ridiculous."

Damon sighed, as if conceding defeat. "If you insist," he said.

Elena gasped, taking in the elegant surroundings of what had to be one of the most expensive restaurants she'd ever seen. The tables were all perfectly decorated with fancy white table cloths. Candles in glass holders and small vases filled with peach-colored roses were placed in the center of each table, with crystal wine glasses and silverware at each place setting. The tables could seat up to eight people in the center of the room, with the smaller tables off to the side in the corner booths to provide an intimate dining area for two or for a small family. She couldn't help noticing that the table cloth covered quite a lot beneath the tables, especially if one were to simply tug it down a little more.

"We have reservations under Salvatore," Damon informed the Maitre'D, using that same tone of voice that once again reminded Elena that regardless of how often he hung out at the bar in Mystic Grill, he still knew how to act like a perfect gentleman when it counted. He fit in with the rest of the obviously rich dining patrons seamlessly, and she was beginning to feel out of place again. Though she was technically a member of the founding families and had attended many lavish parties at the Lockwood's, and the citizens of Mystic Falls often regarded them like they were royalty, it was nothing in comparison to this.

"Ah yes, Mr. Salvatore, we've been expecting you." The Maitre 'D, a middle-aged man in an immaculate crisp black suit and tie, smiled warmly in greeting as if Damon was royalty himself. Elena was surprised when she noticed that Damon hadn't even needed to compel him; she wondered if he had been here before.

As the man escorted them to a small table in the corner of the room, Elena immediately noticed the addition of red roses in the center of the table. She gave Damon a questioning look, asking him wordlessly if he had anything to do with it. He merely winked at her and her heart fluttered once again, thinking he might just kill her with his brand of romance; it really was more than she'd ever thought possible.

"Jessica will arrive shortly to take your orders, but if there is anything else you require during the course of your evening I would be more than happy to assist you any way I can," the man said.

Damon smiled at the Maitre'D and nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Henri," he said with an air of familiarity. "My father was right in suggesting I come here; your establishment is the finest I've seen."

"Thank you, Sir," Henri replied, beaming proudly at the compliment. "Your father always did have impeccable taste, if I may say so. You will tell him for me that I say hello and wish him well?"

Damon winked at Elena, enjoying their private joke. "I'm sure he is well aware of your esteem for him, but I'll make sure to tell him the next time I speak with him."

Henri beamed again. It was obvious that Damon had made quite an impression on this man years ago. "Very good, Sir," he said. Then, turning to smile at Elena, he added "your fiancé is every bit the gentleman his father was twenty years ago. You are a very fortunate young woman."

Elena blushed, not knowing quite what to say. "Thank you," she replied.

As soon as Henri left, Elena turned to Damon. "What was that all about?" she asked, arching her brow.

He shrugged. "Had to think of a cover story to get you in here without them questioning your age," he told her.

She shook her head. "I wasn't talking about that," she told him. "I meant that thing with Henri. You didn't…"

"Compel him?" he finished for her. "No, in this case I didn't have to. He knows my _father_ from twenty years ago,"

"That wasn't a lie?" she asked, suddenly curious about Damon's extensive past. She'd known he'd travelled a lot; Stefan had explained the importance of moving around to different places already.

"I spent a bit of time here back in the early 90s," he told her. "Henri was about my age back then, and just starting out as a waiter. He was one of those rare people who provided excellent service without my needing to influence them, and he always made sure to only serve me the best alcohol they had in stock. When I had to move on, I made sure to influence the owner at the time to ensure Henri got promoted, just in case my _son_ decided to come back here someday."

Elena stared at him, awestruck.

"What?" he asked, upon noticing her strange expression.

"You were nice," she said, grinning.

He shook his head, trying to deny it. "I'm not nice," he said. "I'm _mean_. I'm a big, bad _evil_ vampire, remember?"

She shook her head, still smiling. "Sorry, not buying it," she teased. "You did something nice for someone you would probably never see again."

"I wasn't being _nice_," he made a face, as if the idea disgusted him. "I was merely ensuring that I got the best service the next time I came here. It was _purely_ self-interest."

"You liked him," she pointed out, refusing to give up. "You considered him a good friend, I can tell."

Damon rolled his eyes. "I don't have friends, Elena."

"Then what does that make me?" She asked pointedly.

Damon smirked. "You're my girlfriend," he replied cheekily. "There's a difference."

"Since when did I become your girlfriend?" she asked, trying hard not to blush at his casual statement.

Damon frowned. "What did you think this was?" he asked, sounding a little hurt. "I don't make a habit of wining and dining my _playmates_ you know."

Elena quickly reached for his hand across the table, squeezing it gently before he could pull away. "I didn't mean it like that," she said reassuringly. "I was just surprised that you'd start calling me your girlfriend when we haven't even finished our first date."

"Normally that's the way things are supposed to happen, but this is a _backwards_ _date_," he said, the playful smirk making its reappearance. "Meaning I am not bound by the rules of _proper_ courtship. I could just as easily make you my fiancé."

Unsure of how to respond to that comment, Elena was somewhat grateful when the waitress arrived at their table to take their drink orders. That feeling quickly changed however; while Damon was ordering a bottle of their finest red wine, _Jessica_ was looking at him as if she wanted to order _him_ for dessert. Though he wasn't even paying her the slightest bit of attention in that sense, an inexplicable wave of jealousy coursed through her anyway and she possessively grabbed his hand from across the table once again. She almost wished Damon _had_ proposed to her, if only to show off a sparkling engagement ring and leave no doubt in the minds of women everywhere as to whom Damon Salvatore belonged to. After taking down the order for the wine and leaning over Damon's side of the table a little _too_ far so that he had a good view down her blouse as she set down the menus, she finally left.

"I saw that," Damon said, grinning in amusement.

"I don't know what you mean." Elena's expression was all wide-eyed innocence, but she wasn't fooling anyone; least of all him.

Damon nodded his head in the direction that Jessica was heading and smirked. "You wanted to scratch her eyes out just now."

"No I didn't," Elena said a little too quickly.

Damon continued to smirk at her, finding the situation all too amusing. "Why Miss Elena, I never pegged you for the jealous type," he teased.

"I'm not!" she protested. "I just…didn't like the way she was looking at you, that's all."

"There's a word for that," he said, placing a finger to his lips, pretending to be deep in thought. "What was it again? Oh, right! _Jealousy_!" he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Elena smacked his arm, still holding onto his hand since he hadn't pulled away. "Shut up," she scolded.

"Why? I think it's cute," he said, stroking his thumb over her small wrist. "Not to mention it does _wonders_ for my ego."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Because you really need help in _that_ department," she muttered.

"Maybe not, but I still like it! It's been a long time since anyone's cared enough to get jealous."

"Well, maybe I was a _little_ jealous," Elena admitted, smiling sweetly.

Damon's brow arched. "Just a little?" he asked in that tone that indicated he was fishing for compliments again.

"Don't let it go to your head," she said, rolling her eyes again.

Damon grinned. "I think it's a little late for that," he purred seductively; the double-entendre wasn't lost on her and she slapped his hand again warningly.

"Behave," she scolded.

"Now where's the fun in _that_?" Damon asked, sliding down one side of the table cloth so that it reached the floor. He picked up his fork, examining it with a curious expression, as if he was contemplating something, and then dropped it so that it landed beneath the table. "Here, let me get that," he said, the wicked gleam in his eyes telling her just what he was thinking. Her eyes wide with shock, she shook her head.

"Damon, no," she hissed, trying to ignore the way her heart was pounding with excitement and the pulse between her legs. "We'll get caught," she whispered, frantically glancing around the room to make sure nobody was watching them.

"Relax," he whispered back. "If someone comes within ten feet of our table, I'll hear them coming."

Before she could say anything more, he used his vampire speed to dart beneath the table. In an instant his hands were on her knees, gently spreading her legs apart. She let out a sharp gasp, biting her lip hard to keep from crying out as she felt the first brush of his lips against the inside of her thigh. Her legs began to tremble in reaction as he traced his tongue over her in light circles, flicking it over her sensitive little bud teasingly.

"Damon!" she hissed again. Her vision was already blurring as the sensations began to overwhelm her; it was nearly killing her as she fought to keep herself under control. He was evil to do this to her, knowing how much he affected her. He didn't even _try_ to make it easier on her; his lips and tongue seeking out every single nerve ending she had and exploiting it fully. She tried to close her legs against the assault, but he firmly kept them in place. Tears sprung to her eyes as she fought with everything she had not to scream; she bit down on her lip so hard that she could taste the coppery tang of her blood when at last the coil inside her snapped and her entire body shuddered with her release. She was still breathing heavily as Damon quickly shot back into his seat across from her, licking his lips and grinning like the devil at her.

"You're pure evil," Elena said the second she was finally able to catch her breath.

"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Damon replied saucily. "I can still taste your _enjoyment_, after all."

She attempted a glare, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up in a smile; it was impossible to get her facial muscles to work properly as she was still recovering from the mind-blowing orgasm he'd given her. She was about to tell him off for being such a wicked tease when Jessica approached their table with their bottle of wine and a complimentary pitcher of water. It didn't go unnoticed by Elena that the waitress' top three buttons of her blouse had magically come undone since her last visit.

"Have you decided on what you'd like this evening?" she purred sexily, her eyes focused entirely on Damon while ignoring Elena's presence at the table.

"Actually, we're still deciding," Elena said, giving Jessica the death-glare. The tramp didn't even acknowledge her; she was too busy drooling in Damon's wine glass.

"Is there _anything_ I can get for you? An appetizer, perhaps?" she asked in a sultry tone that reminded Elena of one of those phone sex girls advertised on late night TV.

Damon grinned, eyeing the girl's neck for a split second before looking back to wink at Elena. She glared at him, arching her brow as if daring him to try it and see what happens.

"Well, now that you mention it, I _am _a little hungry. What did _you_ have in mind?"

"Um, the shrimp cocktail is really good." Jessica blushed, giggling in a way that she probably thought was flirtatious, but came off as "desperate schoolgirl meets airhead stripper". Elena rolled her eyes, growing irritated with the girl. She was almost tempted to tell Damon to just go for it, compel the girl, and have a pre-dinner snack; only the image of them together, his mouth on her neck, caused her to seethe with jealousy. No, she decided if Damon was going to feed off of anyone, it would be _her_; not some bimbo dumb enough to throw herself at a man who was clearly spoken for.

"Thanks, we'll have that," Elena spoke up again, giving Damon a look that told him not to say another word to their overly flirty waitress.

Jessica pursed her lips together in a slight frown and quickly scribbled the order on her note pad. She glanced once more at Damon, clearly not taking the hint that her presence was not wanted. "Would you like me to pour the wine for you and your…friend?" she asked, deliberately emphasizing the last word.

"Actually," Elena replied coldly, "my _fiancé_ and I are capable of pouring our own wine, thanks." She grasped Damon's hand again, making it clear that he was most definitely taken.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jessica said in a tone that made it obvious that she wasn't. "I didn't see your ring."

"That's because he and I are going to pick one out at Tiffany's _together_," Elena lied brilliantly, beaming with excitement as if she really was getting engaged.

Damon smirked, amused that Elena was now using the cover story he'd come up with as ammunition against their waitress; the poor girl didn't stand a chance against a furious Elena, especially when fury was warring with jealousy at the moment. She was just so cute when she was jealous, and a part of him really loved the idea of her calling him her fiancé. He had to admit, the idea had a certain appeal to him, especially considering how long he'd had to wait for her. He knew he'd have to wait a little longer though before he could truly take that step, but if he had anything to say about it she would be his wife in a few short years. Obviously he'd wait until she was older before he turned her, since the last thing he wanted was to draw too much attention to them while he literally showed her the world; and there were so many beautiful places he wanted to share with her.

"My girl only deserves the best," he said, never taking his eyes off her beautiful face. Elena blushed; she could tell by the serious expression in his eyes that he wasn't saying it for the sake of their audience. The way he was looking at her right now made her feel as if he truly would give her the world if it was within his power; it was intense, and a little overwhelming, but it thrilled her at the same time. Very few men would go to such lengths, after all.

Jessica was clearly feeling uncomfortable watching them have eye sex from across the table, which was exactly what Elena had counted on. "I'll come back in five minutes…give you two a little more time to decide on your order," she said, casting her eyes down at her notepad.

"Make it ten," Elena replied, not wanting to deal with Jessica any sooner than that.

Jessica nodded her head. "Ten minutes," she repeated more to herself than to the couple she was serving, since Elena and Damon were pretty much ignoring her presence at the moment.

What Jessica had failed to notice in her embarrassment at being caught flirting with Damon was that there was a reason for his sudden lack of response to her. And it had nothing to do with the murderous looks she'd received from Elena. She also failed to notice the slight twitch of Damon's mouth, or the way his fists clenched tightly, or the way Elena kept staring at him with a mischievous, almost triumphant gleam in her eyes. She also failed to notice that Elena had removed one of her high heels, or that her bare foot was in Damon's lap.

Damon, on the other hand, was well aware of this fact; it was the only thing he _was_ aware of, because Elena had decided to get him back for teasing her earlier. He'd never have guessed that her toes would be so talented, and it was getting harder (literally) for him to remain in control so he didn't haul her across the table, audience be damned, and fuck her senseless. The ball of her foot kept pressing against him as she wiggled her toes over the fabric of his pants. She had such an innocent expression on her face, appearing cool and collected in front of their waitress even as she continued to drive him to distraction. He clenched his fists tighter, resisting the urge to grab onto something since he didn't trust himself not to accidentally crush or tear it.

"Make it ten," he heard Elena tell the girl. And then she licked her lips in that oh so subtle but incredibly seductive way and her toes curled over the bulge in his pants, pressing harder. She was evil; purely, sexily, seductively _evil_. And god how he loved her for it! Elena smiled coyly at him, her eyes quickly darting from the retreating form of their waitress and back to him. Her foot pressed into his crotch teasingly again, and then slowly she traced it back down his thigh to rest innocently back on the floor.

"Is something wrong, Damon?" she asked, her eyes dancing with barely concealed amusement.

"You _do_ remember what happened the last time you teased me," he replied in a low, frustrated growl.

Elena shivered as if he'd just touched her sensitive skin, and her eyes darkened with lust. "Vividly," she purred. "But what makes you so sure that I'm teasing?"

Damon smirked. "Are you saying you intend to return the favor?" he asked.

"Maybe later," she replied as she slid her foot up his leg again teasingly. "If you promise to behave yourself while I enjoy my dinner, I'll make sure you enjoy dessert."

"You're seriously killing me," Damon groaned, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Elena smirked. "Somehow, I think you'll survive one more hour." She picked up her menu, glancing over the various entrees with a quizzical expression on her face. "There aren't any prices listed," she said.

"Nope!" Damon replied, smirking again. "But since I'm the one with the credit card and more money than I know what to do with, I don't see that being an issue."

"But…"

Damon cut her off, placing a finger to her lips. "You're not on a cheap date with my baby brother or one of those other silly high school boys," he pointed out. "I am perfectly willing to overlook the price of whatever item you wish to order, as long as it's not something boring like a salad. I can't even begin to count how many times a girl has ruined a perfectly good dining experience by ordering _that_, and nothing else," he said, making a face. "It's as bad as Stefan's Bambi and Thumper diet!"

"Because snacking on brain-dead sorority girls is so much better!" Elena countered.

Damon smirked. "You know, I'm kind of liking Jealous Elena; she's _sassy!_"

"Isn't that supposed to be a bad thing?" she asked, arching her brow.

He shrugged. "Depends on who you ask," he told her. "I've always loved strong, sassy women!" he winked at her and poured them both a glass of wine. "So have you decided what you want to order?" he asked.

Elena pursed her lips in thought as she glanced over the menu. "I'm thinking Filet Mignon."

"My girl has taste," he purred.

Elena blushed. "Have you tried it before?" she asked, trying to regain her composure.

Damon nodded. "Many times," he confirmed.

"I'm surprised you like _steak_," she teased.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if the next comment out of your saucy little mouth is whether I like mine medium rare," he deadpanned. "Seriously, Elena, what is it about teasing me that you find so appealing?"

"You used to tease me all the time," Elena pointed out.

Damon smirked. "Well yeah," he said. "I had to rile you up somehow!"

"So what changed?" She asked seriously.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and licked his lips. "I found better ways to rile you up!" As if to prove his point he positioned his foot so that he could stroke her leg in the same teasing way she had done to him; of course Elena wasn't as in control of her reactions as he was and she practically jumped out of her seat.

"Stop doing that," she chastised.

"Stop doing what?" he asked, giving her that innocent look of his again.

She rolled her eyes. "You _know_ what. You're deliberately trying to distract me."

"And why would I do that?" he asked, letting his foot graze the back of her calf and send shocks up her leg.

"Because you don't want to tell me _why_ you wanted to rile me up in the first place," she said.

"You're cute when you're upset?" he suggested, grinning at her. To anyone else it would have appeared that Damon was only playing with her, but Elena caught the spark in his eyes; that glimmer of emotion that was so fleeting and so rare, but was undeniable proof that he felt something for her that was beyond friendship or lust.

"You know I'm just going to figure it out eventually," she told him knowingly.

"You haven't touched your drink," he commented.

Elena smirked at him and raised her glass in toast. "To finally finding the love and happiness we deserve," she said simply before clinking her glass with his. As she took a sip, she noticed that he was staring at her with an odd expression, as if he couldn't believe what she'd said.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you mean it?" he rasped. His eyes had softened again, his expression hopeful. In that moment, he was completely open to her; the walls he'd put up before had come down the second she'd made that toast, and she knew that he'd caught her meaning just as she'd hoped he would. Elena was grateful for the romantic, but very public setting; it would make it so much easier to tell him without having the constant temptation to just show him how much she loved him. Actions may have spoken louder than words, but she knew that Damon _needed_ to hear them just as badly as she did. It was the only way they would ever be able to move their relationship forward; there couldn't be any more room for doubt as to where they stood with one another.

"I do," she replied softly, setting the glass down on the table and reaching out to place her hand over his. "I'm in love with you," she whispered.

Damon silently stared at her for what felt like several long minutes. Elena frowned, having expected more of a reaction from him after all the times he'd tried to push her into admitting to her feelings in the past.

"Damon?" she asked tentatively when he still hadn't responded to her.

"You should have waited until we were back at the hotel," he sighed, frowning slightly.

Elena furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why?" she asked.

Damon grasped her hand in his, turning it so that the inside of her wrist was exposed to his slightly parted lips. "Because," he whispered against her skin. "Words cannot begin to describe how much I love you, or how long I've waited to hear you say what I've known for months now." His eyes were hazy with desire as he added, "I want you, _right now_, and it's killing me that we haven't even ordered dinner yet."

Elena's pulse sped up at his declaration, and moisture pooled between her thighs. She was tempted to tell Damon that they could just cancel dinner and skip straight to dessert before remembering that the whole point of this evening had been to romance her the way he felt she deserved. She wasn't about to take that away from him, no matter how badly she wanted him to make love to her, to finally hear him whisper those words to her as he brought her such exquisite pleasure. Dessert, unfortunately, would just have to wait.

**Author's Note:** There you go, my impatient but loveable readers! Almost 5000 words of witty banter, sprinkles of lemon, heartfelt confessions and jealous Elena! Sorry it took so long to get this out, but the muse wasn't cooperating since she was upset over being abused yet again, by the same person. I'm sure you're all familiar by now with my plagiarist. Well I got a message from another one of her victims, and while helping her investigate and gather evidence I came across my shower scene in yet another chapter of the copy-cat's story (which has now been deleted). I got the wonderful news from the LJ community Stop Plagiarism that the issue has been resolved earlier today, so the muse decided to celebrate and came out to play! Just in time, too, b/c I wanted to post this in time for a friend's birthday. She knows who she is ;)

Spoiler scenes for this story and others I'm working on are now posted at my LiveJournal. You'll have to sign up in the Who Wants to Be Spoiled thread, but it's worth it if you absolutely cannot wait for another chapter update and need a fix sooner than that.

_Show the musie some love and review, please. It keeps her happy and motivated ;)_


	14. Chapter 14: Love

Disclaimer and Warning: I do not own Vampire Diaries, however consider this story mine. Any dialogues not canon from the show as well as any descriptive sentences are the end result of over twenty years of writing. I have poured my heart and soul into every beautiful paragraph, every perfect sentence, every hot and/or romantic scene, and every funny one-liner. To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. **Repeat offenders will be reported IMMEDIATELY to Stop_Plagiarism on LiveJournal and your name will be placed on the watch list under all known aliases.** It's not worth it; don't be a thief !

**Author's Note: **I know it took FOREVER for me to finish this, but contrary to popular belief, writing smut isn't easy; especially when I don't like to write the same thing twice, and have like a million smutty scenes in all my stories. But I'm hoping that you'll forgive me after reading this chapter!

Now, before you go and indulge in the yummy treat I've whipped up for you…Thanks to the generosity of my readers I've been nominated for the TVD recs Fanfiction Awards (Best Smut and Best Author). Voting is really simple; just head over to TVD recs on LiveJournal (or go to my LJ for details) and copy/paste the text box into your comment, including your picks. While you're at it, BadBoysAreBest is up for The Doppleganger and Eternity Awards (Best AU, Best Epic) and Angel's Blue Eyed Girl is up for Best Mid-Length AND Best Smut. Please read "The Auction" before you decide to vote for me in the Best Smut category, b/c Jenna is one of my good friends and if you feel her story is better than Restless or this one, then I'm not going to take that honor away from her. I AM hoping to win Best Author though, and as you'll see in my comments on LJ, S is already rooting for me even though she's a nominee for the same category. She DOES have her heart set on Best AU and Best Epic though, so please show her your support by helping her win those two. She's one of my best friends, even if we haven't physically met, and I want her to get the recognition she deserves. Keep in mind that without both S and Jenna, I probably wouldn't have written Restless Nights, or made this fic so yummy. So really, this would be a good way to thank them for constantly pushing me to update my fics ;) Okay, I'll let you read now.

**Be Good and Review, and don't forget to cast your votes on tvd recs!**

Chapter 14: Love

It was just a little past nine o'clock when Damon and Elena finally left the restaurant. She still couldn't believe that she'd just had the most amazing date of her life. Who knew that Damon Salvatore would have turned out to be so romantic? Things had only gotten better after she'd confessed her feelings for him; it was as if every single wall he'd ever put up around his heart had been knocked down, and he was finally acting like the man she'd always known was hiding behind the façade of the cocky vampire. He'd ordered every item on the dessert menu for her, and then insisted on feeding her a bite from each one. He'd even deliberately tapped her on the tip of her nose or the corner of her jaw with the fork a few times; then playfully leaned in to lick the whipped cream off her skin. When they were ready to leave, he had gently taken her hand in his and led her out of the restaurant after slipping Henri what looked like two hundred dollar bills on their way out the door. He made no overtly sexual advances toward her as they made the short walk back to the hotel, simply interlacing their fingers and draping his jacket over her shoulders in a protective gesture when she started shivering in the chilled autumn air. The silence was comfortable between them; words didn't really need to be said for them to understand what the other was feeling. Elena's heart beat quickly in anticipation, her body already longing to feel him pressed against her.

As soon as they shut the door to their room, Damon gathered her into his arms. Elena could already feel the difference in the way he softly brushed his lips against hers; it wasn't a slow seduction this time, meant to tease her, it was something else entirely. She was almost certain she could feel his every emotion as he held her to him, stroking her hair as if he was feeling her for the first time. His lips moved over hers, gently tugging at her own and sending shivers of pleasure through her as he slowly moved them toward the bed. His hands remained in her hair, and he made no move to touch her anywhere else, or even remove her dress. As soon as the backs of her thighs hit the edge of the bed, Damon gently lifted her up so that she was kneeling in the center of it. He crawled up to join her, and slowly captured her lips in another sensual kiss as his hands tangled back into her hair.

Her head was spinning, and she almost felt like she would fall backward onto the bed if it wasn't for Damon holding her up. Her senses were overwhelmed with the touch of him, the scent of his skin, the taste of his lips. Elena moaned softly as he flicked his tongue over her bottom lip, sending a wave of heat straight down to her core. Before Damon, she hadn't believed it was possible to get so aroused just from kissing; but every time his lips touched hers she felt the dull ache between her thighs so acutely that all she could think about was getting him naked and inside her.

"God," she whimpered as Damon tilted her head back to trail soft kisses down her throat. "This is crazy…" She wasn't aware that she was voicing her thoughts out loud until Damon's voice broke her out of her trance-like state.

"What's crazy?" he breathed huskily. She gasped, shivers shooting down her spine as he nuzzled her just below her ear.

"This," she moaned, closing her eyes as another shockwave of pleasure shot straight to her nipples and caused her breasts to grow heavy with need. "You barely touch me and I'm already aching for you."

Damon smirked against her skin, nibbling on her earlobe. "For someone who nearly passed out the first time we did this, you sound surprised."

Elena moaned softly as his tongue swirled in slow circles down her throat again. She arched her back and let out a sharp gasp as one hand slid up to cup her breast. "I'm not surprised," she replied. "I've just never felt anything like this...you kiss me and I ache inside. You're driving me crazy."

As if to prove to her that he could drive her even more out of her mind than she already was, Damon slipped his hands down her back to cup her bottom and bring her closer to him. She could feel the hard bulge through his pants, and once again she was reminded of the persistent throbbing deep inside her.

"I think it's only fair," he purred. "You've been driving _me_ crazy since the day we met. It nearly killed me, wanting you so badly and not being able to have you."

"You have me now," Elena sighed.

Damon paused at her throat, feeling the soft hum of her skin where her pulse beat rapidly. He nuzzled her again before slowly kissing his way back up to her lips. She had no idea at all just how much her words had affected him; for one hundred and fifty years Damon had simply wanted a woman to want him for more than just what he could do to them. He'd wanted to be loved so desperately, having not felt it since he'd been a small child and his mother had still been alive; he had willingly believed Katherine when she'd professed her love for him and _only_ him. It had been such a betrayal when he'd discovered that she had intended to keep Stefan as well, and that they had both been nothing more than pets for her. When he'd discovered that truth almost a century and a half later, it had nearly destroyed him. He'd never wanted this life, after all. He'd only agreed to turn for _her,_ and later he'd completed the transition only because Stefan had _begged _him to; too afraid to be alone. For a long time Damon's only purpose had been to free Katherine, so that it would have at least been worth the misery of eternal life; and it had been worth it, though not for the original reason he'd believed. Elena gave him a reason to stay. When he'd considered taking off his ring and burning up in the sun that night, she'd wrapped her arms around him and whispered that it would be okay; she'd shown him that she _cared_, even if she hadn't been willing to admit that at the time. That night, everything had changed. Something deep inside had awakened when she'd dared to hold him at his most vulnerable moment, and he'd realized it wasn't a game anymore; it was real. All those feelings he'd tried to keep buried for her since she'd first believed he was just a normal human man with sibling rivalry issues had absolutely _nothing_ to do with Stefan, or even getting Elena into bed just for the thrill of the chase; the truth was that he wanted _her_. He wanted her laughter, her sweet smile, her passion, hell, he'd even wanted her fiery temper whenever he did something to piss her off; he wanted _all_ of her, and now, after having literally waited over a century for her, she was his. Elena Gilbert had given him her heart, and at the risk of waxing poetic, Damon finally felt _human_ again.

"Yes, I do," he rasped against her lips, capturing them in another searing kiss that left Elena almost as weak as a kitten with her desire. "You're mine," he whispered. "All mine."

His fingertips grazed her bare shoulders on the way to the back of her neck, and she shivered again in response. Damon chuckled softly in amusement, already able to sense how badly she needed him. Taking pity on her, he leaned back into a sitting position, lifting Elena up to straddle his hips. He could feel the damp spots on his pants from where she rubbed against him, but forced himself to take it slow with her. They'd already fucked plenty today; tonight was going to be so much more than that. He was determined to worship every inch of her, even if it killed him. He moved his fingertips to the delicate straps of her gown, effectively distracting her by placing soft kisses down the side of her throat as he worked the straps down her bare shoulders; he left them halfway down her arms, keeping them pinned at her sides as he slowly tilted her head back again to feast on her neck and the soft swells of her breasts. He could see the faint line of her areole where the dress had begun to slip; unable to resist, he tugged at the bodice until it fell to her waist.

Elena sighed in pleasure as Damon swirled his tongue over the peaks of her nipples and sent more shockwaves through her. When he suddenly bit down on her pebbled nipple she let out a sharp cry.

"Oh god," she whimpered. "How are you able to do this to me?"

He smirked cheekily at her. "Easy," he teased. "I just flick my tongue right here…and…"

She shook her head. "Not what I meant," she sighed, arching into his talented mouth. "I've never felt anything this intense with…anyone," she said, deliberately leaving out the name of the person she had been thinking of. With Stefan, it had always been romantic, tender, and just a tiny bit passionate; she'd felt his love for her, and it had been nice…but with Damon it was so much more. She felt his touch in the very deepest parts of her soul, and each time he stroked her it sent chills and fire through her bloodstream.

"I thought I knew what love was before, but I don't think I really had any idea until now. Is it always like this?" she asked. She wasn't aware she'd spoken out loud until Damon drew back from her breasts to look up at her again.

"No," he told her seriously, eyes meeting hers in a smoldering gaze. "It's almost never like this. What you and I have…it's not something that's easy to find, believe me. There are many people, vampires included, who will likely go their whole lives without ever experiencing it."

"So, that first time..."

"That was _us_," Damon said, punctuating the affirmation with another searing kiss to her lips. She melted into him, losing herself in his taste and the exquisite feeling of having him hold her in his arms, as if she belonged there. "I'm good, Elena, but no amount of skill could have made you feel like that if there wasn't something powerful between us," he whispered huskily against her lips.

"Now have I answered all your questions? Because there are much better things I could be doing with my mouth." He licked his lips suggestively, dipping his head back down to her cleavage.

"Just one more," she panted as he sent another wave of tingling pleasure through her. She could feel the rumble of his lips as he groaned at her words.

"What is it?" He sighed dramatically to emphasize that he really didn't want to talk anymore.

Elena giggled at his impatience; he was so cute when he was frustrated, and she couldn't resist teasing him a bit more. Her fingertips traced over one of the top buttons of his shirt.

"Why am I the only one who gets to be half naked?" She didn't wait for a response; as soon as she said it, her hands began to fumble with the tiny buttons and tug at the black jacket. Damon tried to assist her with the task, not really caring if the suit was ripped to shreds, but she slapped his hands away.

"You got to undress me," she reminded him. "I want to do the same."

It was slow torture for him as she carefully drew his jacket off his shoulders, pausing as she slipped it down his arms. She squeezed his biceps, purring softly in approval. Damon had amazingly sculpted arms; which she was ashamed to realize she'd barely noticed before. Too be fair, though, she'd been too distracted by his abs, eyes, lips, chest, and of course the ever increasing hardness of his cock as it pressed against her. She rocked against him as her lips fell to his neck and her hands worked to remove his shirt. It was painstakingly slow for the both of them, but Elena was determined to savor each moment. This could be their only night together where they could truly enjoy one another without interruption or some threat trying to kill them; she wanted to make it count. As she manipulated the tiny buttons and more of his chest was revealed to her, she dipped her head lower to brush her lips over the newly exposed skin.

Damon bit his lip, his hand firmly clenched in the loose material of Elena's dress as it bunched up around her hips. She was driving him crazy with lust and it was taking everything he had not to flip her onto her back and take control. At the same time, however, there was that part of him that wanted to allow this to continue at the pace she set. He growled softly, barely audible to her human ears, as her lips made their way down to the rippling muscles and the thin line of dark hair leading down to the waistband of his pants. Without realizing how it happened, Damon found himself lying on his back with Elena fully naked and lying halfway on top of him, her head almost level with his throbbing hard-on. He didn't even remember leaning back; it had purely been instinctual, as if his body was completely disconnected from all conscious thought or actions.

Elena could see his length straining within the confines of his pants and pressed her hand against it, feeling his dick reflexively twitch in reaction. Her other hand quickly undid the button and slid the zipper down. She took great pleasure hearing his low moan as her hand tugged at the waistband of his black boxer briefs, allowing his impressive length to spring free. She looked up at him through her lashes, not breaking her gaze from his as she gently brushed her lips over the tip in a tender kiss before finally enveloping the entire head of him with her warm, wet mouth.

"Elena," Damon gasped, gripping the sheets beneath him so he wouldn't accidentally grab her head and start fucking her mouth. She was moaning; actually fucking moaning while she pulled him deeper into her mouth, and he was losing his mind. Her tongue swirled around his shaft, occasionally pressing flat against the sensitive underside of his head in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

Elena couldn't believe how sensual the act of giving head could be; every movement, every soft brush of her lips felt like she was expressing her love at a deeper level of intimacy than she ever had before. She tasted, she savored, she worshipped him until the pulse between her own thighs became too insistent to ignore. Damon sensed it too, and his hands slipped over her shoulders to gently push her away.

"Turn around," he rasped.

Elena knew instantly what he wanted and spread her legs apart and turned to straddle his chest. As she leaned forward again, Damon suddenly gripped her hips and pulled her closer to his mouth. Her thighs tensed around his head and unconsciously she sucked him harder than she'd intended. He moaned in approval, his lips vibrating against her clit and causing small tremors that shot up her legs and made her fingers twitch. Her lips quivered around his shaft even as she took him deeper, feeling him at the back of her throat. At that same moment Damon sucked harder at her swollen flesh, flicking and tapping his tongue over her clit until she had no choice but to pull her mouth off him or risk accidentally choking or biting him. Her hand wrapped around him, squeezing him in almost a death grip, but he barely registered any pain as she pumped him in jerky movements while flicking her tongue over his head.

He suddenly slid one finger inside her and she let out a sharp cry; she was close to sobbing with her pleasure as Damon curled his index finger against her g-spot, pumping inside her. She was so tight that her inner walls were practically squeezing him out as her thighs convulsed around him. The quivering extended to her dripping wet core, and he could practically feel the quick pulsing of her clit against his tongue as he brought her higher. She'd stopped touching him altogether; too delirious with pleasure to do anything but lie there sprawled over him.

Elena could feel the pressure and heat spreading through her body. It was maddening with the intensity of it, and she could hardly control her reaction to it. The first time he'd done this to her, she'd thought it couldn't possibly get any more intense; she'd been wrong. That first time had been mostly a physical reaction, but now it was purely emotional. The cries from her lips were no longer the sharp gasps, moans, and screams of earlier moments; Elena was sobbing uncontrollably, and she couldn't stop. The tears wet her cheeks as the beads of sweat and her fluids wet the insides of her thighs. When Damon finally eased off of her hyper-sensitive clit and helped her roll onto her side on the bed she was still tingling and sobbing incoherent words that didn't even make sense to her. She felt his arm around her as he pulled her against his chest and whispered soothing words into her tangled hair, stroking it gently so that the silk strands slid between his fingers.

"Oh my god," she sobbed into his neck even as she kissed him there. It felt like her heart would explode right out of her chest as she clutched him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck as if she was afraid to let go even for a moment. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she whispered the words repeatedly, each time softer than the last until it was barely even a breath over her lips.

"You okay?" he whispered, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

She could only nod her head, still gasping and shaking next to him. She wanted to tell him that she was better than okay; that she felt better than she'd ever felt in her life, and that she had actually _felt_ the love flowing between them in that moment when he'd made her reach such a spectacular climax (or possibly several, at the same time). God, if she hadn't already known that she loved him the way she was feeling now would have convinced her of that fact. Damon was right; there was no way she could have reacted so powerfully if her feelings for him weren't so powerfully _real_. Instead, all she could do was mumble a choked "I love you" between shuddering little whimpers. Still, Damon heard her as clearly as if she _wasn't_ still crying from emotional overload.

"I love you too," he whispered back, rolling them both so that he was hovering over her. Tenderly he smoothed the curled strands of her hair away from her face, placing soft kisses over her lips as he positioned his hips between her still-trembling thighs. "Open your eyes, baby," he coaxed, sliding just the tip inside her. Her eyes were still watering from pleasure, blurring her vision, but somehow she could still see the intense blues and greens of his eyes. If eyes truly were the windows to the soul, then Damon's was the most beautiful that she'd ever seen; it _glowed_ in that moment. The walls were gone, and for the first time, she truly was seeing _all_ of him, bared before her with only a hint of vulnerability and full of love; love that was only for her. She lifted her hand to trace the soft contours of his face, gasping in pleasure as he slowly slid further inside; he didn't take his eyes off her, and as he filled her body she felt more connected to him than she'd ever been with anyone. The rest of the world melted away completely, and they were _just_ Damon and Elena—no vampires, no doppelgangers, no Stefan; just two twin flames, burning warm and bright after having finally found each other, at last.

"I love you," he whispered again, still staring into her eyes. With anyone else, the intensity would probably have been too much for her; but with Damon she couldn't shy away from it. She met his gaze, arching her hips with every downward stroke of his. He moved slowly within her, and the angle of his hips caused his pelvis to grind against hers with every movement.

"I love you," she returned, lifting her head off the pillows to touch her quivering lips to his. One of her legs lifted slightly to intertwine with his, pulling him closer against her while at the same time bringing more friction. Their mouths mated together in time with the gentle rocking of their hips, and Damon wrapped his arms around and under her back, pressing her soft breasts to his chest. He could feel her heart beating against it, and the pulse in her throat grew louder in his ears, but he ignored it; he wasn't ready to claim her yet. Tonight he wanted to make love to her not as the vampire, but as the man he had been in 1864; the man that she had shown him he could be again. As her arms wrapped tighter around his neck, he closed his eyes and imagined what it would have been like to have her back then. Perhaps they would have married, had children, and grown old together; he still longed for that life he'd left behind, but at the same time he was grateful that he'd made the choice to turn. It all came down to fate; if he'd chosen to die back then, the way he'd originally intended, he never would have met her. He wouldn't be holding her now, or hear her breathless little sighs and whimpers as he brought her to completion. He wouldn't have found _love_; in the end, all that pain and misery he'd suffered, all the guilt that he pretended he didn't have…it had all been worth it. As if answering his own thoughts, Elena pressed soft kisses into his neck and shoulder and whispered more words of love into his ear. He could feel her inner muscles contracting around him as he began to pick up the pace, rocking his hips harder into her pelvis so that her clitoris was now rubbing consistently against him. She let out a few more little gasps of "oh, oh" as he switched from the slow rocking and shallow thrusts to grinding in tight little circles over her sweet spot. Her leg slid over the back of his, and her toes suddenly curled around his calf muscle, pinching the skin unintentionally as her climax began to wash over her.

"Damon," she cried softly. She was simultaneously burning up and shivering as chills shot down her spine, and the pressure on her clit had spread deep inside her, setting off every single nerve ending she had all at once.

Having denied himself his release, Damon was now throbbing inside her, just waiting for her to let go again so he could join her. He pulled away from her neck where he'd been nuzzling her in just the right spot, and brought her lips to his again. She was close; he could already feel the soft tremors starting within her once more.

"That's it, Elena," he whispered breathlessly, moving one hand to caress the side of her face. "Ride it out, baby." The beads of sweat on her skin and his made their bodies glide against each other, and with every push inside her his chest slid over hers, grazing her nipples to add to her pleasure. As her walls began to squeeze him, he tilted her hips up just enough to hit her front wall; sending her spiraling one last time, before finally allowing himself to join her. Their eyes locked on each other, blue meeting brown as their shared climax wrung every last drop of energy from their sated bodies. When it was over, he nearly collapsed on top of her; their limbs still tangled together as the sweat began to cool on their skin. He tried to move off her, to allow her room to breathe, but she clung to him with a grip stronger than he'd thought she was capable of in her state.

"Stay," she murmured, stroking his hair until he finally gave in and laid his head against her chest; listening to the soft beating of her heart and her shallow breathing. After a few minutes, he felt her shivering, and reluctantly withdrew from her embrace. As he moved to get off the bed, her eyes fluttered open again, this time in confusion.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," he smirked, though his eyes were reassuring. "I just thought maybe you'd like to test out that big bathtub in there," he nodded toward the bathroom door. "You know, since we're checking out in the morning."

Elena smiled softly, "You really are the closet romantic, aren't you?"

"If you tell anyone, I'll deny it," he said, winking at her.

She laughed softly. "Don't worry," she assured him. "Your secret's safe with me."

Without warning, he leaned over to kiss her on the top of her forehead again. "I love you, you know that?"

She nodded, her heart practically fluttering with happiness. "I do," she replied. "And I love you too."

"Wait here," he said. "I'll come get you when it's ready."

Elena couldn't help but smirk at him, realizing he was up to something again. "Damon Salvatore, what are you up to _now_?" she teased.

"You'll see." He winked again before turning toward the bathroom. He paused at the doorway, arching his brow at her, attempting to look stern. "No peeking until I say so," he warned.

Elena giggled. "Okay, I promise, no peeking."

As soon as he disappeared inside the bathroom, she stretched out on the bed again, sighing in satisfaction with a huge smile on her face. She hadn't felt this happy in such a long time; not even when she'd been with Stefan. With him, there had always been one thing or another that he was hiding from her, and it had tainted their relationship; but Damon was honest with her, brutally honest at times, but at least she always knew what to expect with him. So if he said he loved her, then there was no doubt at all in her mind that he meant every syllable. She giggled again, feeling incredibly giddy; Damon Salvatore loved her. She'd known it before, of course; Isobel had alluded to that fact and had no reason to lie, and nothing to gain from saying it. But knowing, and _feeling_ it were two completely different things; and tonight, she'd definitely felt it. She'd felt it when he'd held her, kissed her, and looked so deeply into her eyes that it was like a merging of their souls; she'd felt _everything_ tonight, and she didn't want it to end. She could hear the water turning on in the bathroom, and the tub beginning to fill with what she was already imagining to be warm soapy water; probably with some rose petals, now that she had seen first-hand how romantic her new boyfriend could be. _Boyfriend_; the word made her insides flutter with excitement and joy. It was still surreal to her how she'd lost one boyfriend and gained another one in the 24 hours since she and Damon had left Mystic Falls last night; but then again, it was crazy enough that she had left one vampire brother behind and was dating the other. How would she ever explain that one to Jenna? Suddenly her eyes widened in realization; she hadn't sent Jenna OR Jeremy a single text letting them know she was okay. Jer was probably freaking out the most, since the last time he'd spoken to her she'd been upset. Jenna would have interrogated him by now too, and she immediately began to feel guilty that he was covering for her and yet didn't even know why she'd left. She glanced over at the clock. It was almost ten-thirty, meaning she and Damon had been making love for almost two hours; that thought brought the silly grin back to her face for a moment, before she had to remind herself to focus on the more pressing matter of locating her phone and sending Jeremy a quick text to let him know she'd be home in the morning. Reluctantly she rolled off the bed, legs still a bit weak from her earlier exertions, and made her way over to the chair where her clothes from last night still lay in a pile. Her phone was still in Damon's jacket pocket, and she pulled it out and frowned, noticing that she had several missed calls and texts; she'd forgotten that she'd put the thing on silent so she wouldn't be disturbed. It had been incredibly selfish of her, but at the time she hadn't been thinking about that; she'd been far too busy enjoying her alone time with Damon, but now she regretted her actions. Ignoring the frantic calls of her family while she had a good time was something that the old Elena used to do. She began to scroll through the list, noticing that most of the calls were from Jeremy; and the knot of guilt inside her tightened even more. He'd texted her too, and each one seemed more frantic.

10:30 pm, yesterday, from Jeremy: _Where are you?_

12am, from Jeremy: _Elena, please. Tell me what's going on. Why did you leave with Damon?_

1am, from Stefan: _Elena, if you're still awake, please text me back. I need to explain. I'm sorry._

1am, from Caroline: _Elena, I'm soooooo sorry. It just happened, but I swear it won't ever happen again. You're my best friend; I don't want to hurt you._

8am, from Jeremy: _When are you coming home? Jenna's going to be up soon and I need to know how long you'll be gone so I can come up with a cover story for you._

8:30am, from Stefan: _Elena, I'm sorry for what happened last night. I swear it's nothing, Caroline's just a friend. Please, you have to forgive me._

9am, from Stefan: _Elena, why aren't you returning my messages? Did Damon do something to you? Has he compelled you? Look, I'm coming over; we need to talk._

9:15am, from Jeremy:_ Stefan just dropped by the house looking for you and…_

9:30am, from Jeremy: _I really hope you're okay, b/c Katherine just showed up here, pretending to be you again. Jenna and I are okay, but you NEED to come home!_

9:30am, from Stefan: _Elena, I'm sorry you're still mad about last night but please let's talk about this. Tell me where Damon's keeping you and I'll come get you right now. Whatever he made you do…it's okay, I forgive you. You were compelled; you didn't have a choice. I love you._

10am, from Jeremy: _I just called Stefan and he said Katherine dropped by the boarding house. Elena, where are you? Look, we need you guys to come home. Damon's the strongest fighter we've got; even Ric agrees with me. He's with Jenna right now, convincing her to stay on campus for a bit. Please, at least call me and let me know you're okay._

12pm, from Caroline: _Elena, things are really, really bad right now. You and Damon need to come home b/c honestly, Stefan's not handling this well at all. Katherine's too strong for us! We NEED Damon._

12:30pm, from Bonnie: _What the hell, Elena? Stefan just told me you ran off somewhere with DAMON! Please tell me you didn't willingly sleep with him!_

There were several more messages from Jeremy and Bonnie, but Elena had seen enough; she frantically began searching for all her clothes and began throwing them into the empty shopping bags. For good measure she also grabbed Damon's clothes, but left him a pair of jeans, his jacket and his black tee shirt; he would need them if he was to get dressed, after all. Just as she was slipping on her underwear, Damon came out of the bathroom looking sexy and seductive as usual; and still completely naked.

"Okay…you can come in now…" he started to say; then he noticed that she was getting dressed and frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Elena looked up at him with eyes filled with sadness and regret; she really hadn't wanted to ruin their evening like this, but there wasn't really a choice. They had to go back; whether they liked it or not.

"Have you checked your phone at all since this morning?" she asked him, sounding terribly worried.

He shook his head. "Not since that call from Stefan," he told her. "You turned it off; remember?"

She bit her lip, and tears instantly sprung to her eyes. He was next to her before she could blink and immediately put his arms around her to comfort her.

"Why?" he asked; already dreading her answer. "What happened?"

"I…" she choked, handing him her phone. "I think our bath will have to wait."

Damon flipped through the messages and cursed under his breath; Katherine had the _worst_ timing! It was almost like the bitch had a sixth sense for knowing when he was truly content, and made it her life's mission just to ruin that happiness. Once again he wondered how he'd ever managed to fall for her in the first place; god, he really had been naïve when he'd been human.

Frowning at the various texts, his thoughts took a turn for the worse; if Elena had that many texts, he couldn't imagine how many were on _his_ phone. After all, he was the only shot they really had when it came to stopping whatever diabolical plan Katherine had in store for them, since he wasn't a baby vampire OR on the Thumper and Bambi diet. Sure enough, when Elena handed him his phone he noticed several messages from Ric, Jeremy, and even Caroline. There was also one particularly irate message from Stefan threatening him bodily harm if he so much as touched Elena, but Damon just ignored it; Stefan couldn't do anything to him, and he knew it. Really, the empty threats were more amusing than anything else. The one that worried him the most, however, was the one that Vampire Barbie sent him. She'd specifically asked for him not to let Stefan know he was coming home, which meant only one thing to him; Stefan was sulking again, and refusing to admit he needed his help. All he would prove would be that he could get himself killed, and Damon wasn't willing to let that happen; contrary to popular opinion he did still love his little brother. Theirs was a complicated relationship; but then most sibling rivalries were. He sighed, feeling more than a little disappointed that the vacation was over, but gave his girl a reassuring smile.

"It's okay," he assured her. "I'll check us out and get the car packed with our bags; you just worry about getting dressed and let me take care of the rest." He punched in a few keys on his phone, sending off a quick message to Caroline before pressing a soft, reassuring kiss against Elena's cheek. In a blur of movement, he was fully dressed and at the door. He tried to remain calm, for her sake, but part of him was very tempted to just take Elena far away (possibly to Italy) and never look back. Because whatever it was that Katherine was planning, he had this terrible feeling that Elena was in danger.


	15. Chapter 15: Coming Home

Disclaimer and Warning: I do not own Vampire Diaries, however consider this story mine. Any dialogues not canon from the show as well as any descriptive sentences are the end result of over twenty years of writing. I have poured my heart and soul into every beautiful paragraph, every perfect sentence, every hot and/or romantic scene, and every funny one-liner. To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. **Repeat offenders will be reported IMMEDIATELY to Stop_Plagiarism on LiveJournal and your name will be placed on the watch list under all known aliases.** In addition to that, your crime will be broadcast all over mine and my best friends' various websites/twitter/Livejournal for all to see, and they will of course deal with you according to how they see fit; including, but not limited to mocking you behind your back. It's not worth it; don't be a thief!

This chapter is for everyone who has been waiting patiently for me to update (and those who weren't so patient. Lol). It's also for my best friends who have given me so much support this past year. I can't even begin to say how much it means to me that I have you all to talk to on the phone and Skype, or through lengthy emails/LJ posts in addition to the many reviews you've left me without fail, and the wonderful fics you've written to keep me entertained when my own muse needs some inspiration and a good swift kick in the ass to get things moving again. I love you all, so much!

Previously, on The Vampire Diaries: Temptress Fanfic Edition ;)

_Cut to last scene between Damon and Elena in "Kill or Be Killed"._

Elena: "What you did for Caroline's mom, that's the Damon who was my friend."

_Cut to Caroline with Stefan in the other room_. _First kiss. Elena walks in as Stefan and Caroline roll around on the couch._

Elena: Oh my god.

Stefan: I can explain.

_Cut to Elena glaring furiously at Stefan, with Caroline looking very guilty and terrified._

Elena: Had I known _this_ was going to happen I would have let Damon kiss me. I wouldn't have fought him off, and I wouldn't have lied to him for _you_. I would have wrapped my legs around his hips, and I would have _never_ looked back!"

_Cut to Elena running into Damon's arms, sobbing._

Elena: I can't…I don't….just take me away. Anywhere. I don't care.

_Cut to the interior of Damon's car, where Damon and Elena are getting hot and heavy (Chapter 2, for you smut hounds), with Stefan/Caroline voiceover  
_

Caroline: Elena _will_ forgive you. I've known her a long time and I know she's just hurt right now. But it'll be okay again. She _will_ come back.

Stefan: No. She might eventually get over it, but she's not coming back. I've lost her.

_Cut to Damon and Elena in their hotel room, making out on the bed (Chapter 3)  
_

Damon: It's taking all the strength I have not to just rip your clothes off and take you right now

Elena: Then take me

_Cut to Damon kissing down Elena's chest with her gasping in pleasure (Chapter 4), Elena making out with a wet sexy Damon in the shower (Chapter 5), with voiceover_.

Elena: If things had been different, I would have given in to you that night. It took everything I had to do what I thought was the right thing, but the whole time there was a part of me that just wanted you to press me against the wall and make me forget everything.

_Cut to Katherine posing as Elena in Jeremy's room_

Katherine: I know she's gone, and obviously Stefan isn't with her. What I _want_ to know is _why_ he's not with her.

_Cut to Katherine taunting Stefan and Caroline in Stefan's room. fight scene (Chapter 6)  
_

Katherine: My, we've gotten _brave_ haven't we? You really think you can take me?

Caroline: We're not afraid of you, Katherine.

Katherine: You should be.

_Cut back to Elena and Damon having breakfast in bed._

Elena: Are you asking me out on a date?

_Cut to their romantic daytime date and more sexy times outdoors. Voiceover._

__Elena: You spent 145 years trying to free her and you honestly expect me to believe you're over her _just like that?_

__Damon: I never loved Katherine, not for who she really was. I know what _real_ love is now.

_Cut back to Stefan and Caroline._

Stefan: I don't make out with a girl just because I can. There has to be…feelings involved.

_Cut to scene from "Plan B" of Mason and Katherine in bed together._

Mason: What happens when I give you the Moonstone?

Katherine: We'll live happily ever after.

_Cut to Bonnie in the room with Staroline._

Bonnie: Well, when I touched Mason Lockwood by accident, I saw him and Katherine together.

_Cut to Stefan and Caroline arguing_

Caroline: Look, I know he's not your favorite person or whatever, but we need him.

Stefan (stubbornly): Damon's not in this!

_Cut to Caroline sending Damon a secret text telling him: __Damon, come back asap! Major trouble w/ Katherine! Plz, we really need ur help! PS. Don't tell Stefan!_

_Cut to Damon and Elena at dinner, then making love again in their room. Voiceover._

Elena: I've just never felt anything this intense with anyone. Is it always like this?

Damon: It's almost never like this. What you and I have, it's not easy to find. There are many people, vampires included, who will likely go their whole lives without ever experiencing it.

Elena: I love you.

Damon: I love you too

_Cut to Elena looking through the messages on her phone. Cut to Damon looking worried and trying not to show it.  
_

Elena: I think our bath will have to wait.

Damon: I'll check us out and get the car packed with our bags; you just worry about getting dressed and let me take care of the rest

_And now for the next chapter..._

Chapter 15: Coming Home

The meeting had gone about as well as could be expected, considering that they had no idea what the hell they were going to do; but it had turned out to be a disaster as far as forming a battle plan. The whole thing was more of a debriefing than anything else. Alaric was immediately caught up to speed on the situation and decided to do what he could to protect Jenna. Jeremy, though told many times to stay out of it, had insisted on spying on Tyler Lockwood in hopes that he'd slip something about his uncle. Bonnie was no help, as usual; she spent most of the evening in stony silence, giving clipped replies when anyone addressed her. Stefan knew that she held him and Caroline partly responsible for Elena skipping town with Damon; and unfortunately she was right. The only truly good thing to come out of the evening was Liz's offer to keep tabs on Mason, since he wasn't aware of the new alliance yet, she would be the element of surprise, so to speak. It was pretty much their only hope at figuring out what his next move would be, and in the meantime they only had to make sure that none of them were caught spying or that Katherine wouldn't decide to pay any of them a nighttime visit. And then there was his _other_ problem; how to keep everyone safe, including Caroline.  
"I don't think you should fight," Stefan said as soon as they were alone again. "You're still new to all of this, and if things get bad…"  
Caroline narrowed her eyes, not liking the fact that they were having this discussion _again_. She had hoped that he would have given up by now; it wasn't like she was a helpless little human, after all.  
"Hey, Mister! Don't forget who keeps saving your butt! I'm perfectly capable of taking down Dog Boy on my own," Caroline said, puffing out her chest in a show of bravado.  
"What about Katherine?" Stefan pointed out, frowning. "She's older and stronger; you could get hurt."  
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Please, she doesn't scare me. If she wants to fight, I say _"Bring it, Bitch!"_  
"This isn't a game, Caroline," Stefan warned. "You could _die_."  
"So could you," Caroline countered. "You think I don't know the risks? I'm just some silly little girl who needs protecting, right?"  
"Come on, Caroline, you know that's not it," Stefan sighed.  
"Then what _is_ it, Stefan?" she snapped. "Are you afraid I'm going to get in the way? Cramp your style? What?"  
Stefan raked his fingers nervously through his hair and turned his back toward her, facing the fireplace; he couldn't stand to face her right now. He was afraid that if he did, she would see just how terrified he was; and he couldn't show her. He had to be strong; everyone was counting on him to lead the fight, to protect the town from whatever it was that Katherine was planning. He couldn't do that if he had to worry about Caroline getting hurt, and she would. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, he wished his brother was here.  
_Damon_ would have known what to do. He always knew what to do, and _he_ would have come up with a plan by now. _He_ would have been strong enough to take on Mason, and to torture information out of him if necessary. Damon was calm in a crisis, which was why Stefan had always secretly relied on his older brother. It was one of the reasons he'd forced him to turn in the first place; Stefan hadn't been able to accept a life without Damon, and while his actions had been selfish he didn't regret them. He knew he was weaker emotionally as well as physically; his diet had pretty much ensured that, and it would be a while before he'd be able to build up a tolerance to human blood. He couldn't just start draining blood bags again, not when there was a chance of him losing control; to say they were fucked was an understatement. But of course Stefan couldn't tell her any of that. She needed to believe that he could handle this, because if she knew the truth she'd refuse to back down. She would fight Katherine, and she would die.  
Caroline was a lot like Elena in that sense; she cared about her friends enough to put her own life at risk. She'd proven that when she'd rushed in to save him and Damon, exposing her true nature to her mother even though Liz was on the Council. Fortunately for their side, Liz had come around, but the danger had still been there. Caroline hadn't cared; and now she was going to expose herself to further danger unless he could somehow convince her it wasn't necessary.  
"I can't be worrying about you and fighting _her_ at the same time," he snapped, spinning around to face her again and trying to look menacing. "You saw what happened earlier today! She was able to overpower _both_ of us because we weren't focused on the kill. So do us both a favor and _stay out of it_."  
Caroline's eyes burned into his; stubborn and full of determination. "_No_," she said firmly.  
In that moment she sounded more like Elena than he'd ever thought possible, but at the same time she was softer, sweeter. She didn't challenge him on every turn, and though her fire burned brightly, it didn't burn him quite as painfully as Elena's often did. Yes, Caroline was challenging him now, but her eyes reflected nothing but concern; concern for _him._" He was beginning to realize just why he'd been drawn to her in the first place. Why he'd kissed her.  
"Please," he said, his expression softening. "I don't want you to get hurt." His heartfelt plea had the desired effect, but it wasn't emotional manipulation in his case; he'd meant every syllable. He sank down onto the couch, raking his hands through his hair again to calm his nerves. Caroline tentatively stepped toward him, hugging her arms; her insecurity was as plain as the wary expression on her beautiful, porcelain face.  
"Why do you care so much?" she asked him, barely above a whisper.  
Stefan looked up at her incredulously. How could she even ask that? "You _know_ why."  
She shook her head as she sat a few inches away from him on the other side of the couch. "No, I don't," she said, still hugging her arms close to her body protectively.  
"I promised you, remember?" he turned to face her, staring deeply into her eyes. "I said I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I meant it."  
"That's what I don't get though," Caroline sighed. "You didn't even notice me when I was human, so what changed?"  
"I always noticed you," Stefan said. "I just didn't _know_ you back then. But...I saw something in you that night," he continued, "When we were in the bathroom and I was cleaning up the blood, you were so upset over what you'd done. I knew exactly how you felt because it's something I've faced myself," Stefan smiled softly, moving his hand to touch her arm. "We're the same."  
She didn't know what it was, but something about the way he was looking at her told her everything she needed to know.  
"Stefan," she asked, tentatively moving closer to him and whispering softly, "Why did you kiss me last night?"  
"I don't know," he sighed, running his hands through his hair and refusing to meet her gaze.  
"I think you do," she insisted. She reached out to touch the side of his face and turned his head to look at her. "I think you know exactly why you did it, and you're just afraid to say it."  
Their eyes locked on each other, and Caroline could feel the powerful rush of desire course through her as their bodies moved closer, as if drawn by a magnetic pull. Her lashes began to flutter, eyes half closed as his breath teased over her lips.  
She couldn't explain it, but she was certain she could already feel the heat of his skin against hers, and his scent was overpowering; better than any cologne. Caroline was hardly innocent, and had definitely had her share of wild and passionate nights, but this was so much more. Maybe it went back to that whole heightened senses thing Stefan had told her about, or maybe it was because she had been falling for him from the moment he'd wiped the blood from her face and promised to help her the night she'd taken her first victim; whatever the reason, she only knew that she wanted him with every tingling nerve ending in her body.  
Stefan hovered over her lips, his breath just as shallow as hers.  
"We shouldn't do this," he rasped, though he made no move to pull away. "Elena..."  
"Elena already made her choice," Caroline said seriously. "Now I'm making mine."  
She pushed him back so that he was kneeling on the cushions, and leaned over him, brushing the tips of her breasts against his firm, hard chest as her lips softly touched his.  
The kiss was tentative at first, and Caroline almost pulled away when Stefan didn't make any move to deepen it, but as soon as she started to draw back, strong hands clasped the back of her neck and spanned her tiny waist, keeping her molded to him.  
His tongue flicked out against her lips, tasting the cotton-candy flavored lip gloss she was wearing, along with her own unique flavor, and he moaned, hungrily devouring them until she was shivering. Caroline slid her hands through his hair, gripping it tightly in one of her fists when his mouth opened against hers and his tongue slipped inside to tantalize and tease her further.  
She could feel the power beneath the surface of his control as he fought to keep things between them slow and sensual, and while she was definitely enjoying this gentle Stefan, she also hadn't had sex since before she became a vampire; and she was aching (literally) to find out just how much her body could handle now.  
"You don't have to hold back with me," she said, breathing heavily as she roughly tore her lips away from his. "I'm not as breakable as I used to be."  
Her words must have triggered something deeply buried and _primal_ in him, because the second she gave him the green light, Stefan had her flipped onto her back and made short work of her shirt, tearing it from the neckline all the way down to reveal the hot pink lace barely covering her breasts. She was about to smirk and comment that it was about time, but suddenly she lost the inability to speak coherently as Stefan took one aching peak between his lips.  
She was already flying, and it was insanely good; better than anything she'd ever experienced before in her life...well, except for maybe Damon, but that hardly counted, and she was soooo not going to compare the two of them right now. Besides, it wasn't even a contest; Damon had just been fun (_and_ he TOTALLY belonged with Elena; it was obvious from the start), but Stefan...Stefan was something else entirely. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but it just _felt_ like he was hers, and while she didn't understand the whole vampire mate thing, or how it differed from human relationships, she did know that it was considered to be more intense. Well, _this_ was definitely intense. She couldn't remember a time when she'd ever felt so connected to another person in her life; not even with Matt, whom she had been so sure was her soul mate-up until a few weeks ago, anyway.  
She threw her head back, whimpering as Stefan's teeth found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck and his hips pressed into the damp denim, causing just enough friction to tease, but not enough for her liking at the moment. Thankful for her vampire strength and speed, Caroline pushed him back on the couch to straddle his hips, rubbing herself against him; seeking _some_ relief for the maddening ache building at her core.  
Stefan's hands slid up her back, fingers fumbling with the clasp of her bra as his teeth tortured her tingling peaks through the fabric. She was about to just reach behind and tear it in two when something began vibrating against her upper thigh; it took a few minutes for her to realize it was her phone buzzing in her pocket.  
"Just ignore it," she rasped, tilting her head down to capture his lips again.  
Stefan seemed to agree with her, and with one quick maneuver, he popped open the button fly and pulled the fabric down her hips, gently nipping down her sternum toward her quivering belly. Unfortunately, just as she was about to feel his lips where she wanted him most, her phone started buzzing incessantly again. She wanted to scream when Stefan reluctantly pulled away from her and reached into the pocket of her jeans, which were still halfway down her thighs.  
"It could be important."  
She sighed heavily, but dutifully took the phone out of her pocket and searched through her missed calls...and the one new text from Damon. She discreetly tried to slip it back into her pocket and pretend it was a wrong number.  
"Who was it?" Stefan asked.  
"No one important," Caroline muttered, moving to conceal the screen from Stefan's curious gaze. She wasn't fast enough, however, and in an instant he had the phone in his possession.  
"Stefan, don't..." she cried, reaching out to grab it back. He shrugged her off, staring at the screen with a mix of anger and shock, and Caroline bit her lip nervously as he finally turned the phone back around; the message from Damon, with the words, "We're on our way," still flashing on the screen in undeniable evidence of her betrayal.

_***_  
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Elena asked, running an agitated hand through her still-slightly disheveled hair as they sped along the highway, already going ten kilometers over the speed limit.  
"Well, it _could_," Damon said, turning his head so that Elena could see the teasing glint in his eyes and that devilish smirk that she loved so much. "But then I'd have to compel every cop from here to Mystic Falls to get out of some serious speeding tickets."  
"Aren't you even a little anxious to get back home?" she asked, unable to even crack a smile at his obvious attempt to defuse the situation with humor. She was far too worried about everyone, and even hated herself a little bit for being so selfish as to run off with Damon, knowing full well that she had been leaving her family unprotected. And she hated herself even more for not caring enough to check her phone earlier, no matter how amazing the sex had been; and it _had_ been amazing. But still, that was no excuse, and she couldn't help feeling incredibly guilty. She couldn't understand how Damon could be so _calm._ After they'd listened to the messages, he'd simply packed up their bags, pulled the car around, and started driving the second she was safely buckled into her seatbelt. He didn't appear to be freaking out _at all_ and it was a little disconcerting. "I mean, those messages were from hours ago," she pressed. "What if Katherine's already…"  
"She hasn't," Damon said firmly, in a tone that warned her not to argue the point, and to just trust that he was right.  
"How can you be so sure?" she asked, needing more reassurance than that.  
Damon sighed. "Because I know the bitch better than anyone else, and I know what she's capable of; if she'd truly wanted everyone dead, then we would not have so many messages because they'd already _be_ dead. Katherine's up to something else entirely. She's just playing with everyone."  
Elena was very quiet, starring out the window at nothing in particular.  
Damon glanced over at her, his expression softening to one of concern. She could try to hide it all she wanted, but he noticed the bags under her eyes, and knew that the chances of her getting any rest once they arrived home were slim to none. They were about to face an inquisition; one he'd prefer to delay just a little bit longer, even if he _was_ capable of getting to Mystic Falls a lot faster. "You know, you really should try to get some sleep while you still can. We don't know exactly what we're coming home to."  
"I'm too worried about Jeremy and Jenna to even try," she sighed.  
Damon studied her carefully out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure that's all it is?"  
"What else would it be?"  
Damon rolled his eyes. Did she not realize by now that he could read her better than anyone else? She could paste an innocent look on her face all she wanted, but the tone in her voice gave it away. "Come on, Elena, this is _me_ you're talking to. There's something else bothering you right now, so spill," he said.  
Elena pressed her lips together in a thin line, and nervously started playing with the ends of her still-curled hair. "It's just…" she let out a long sigh, "what's going to happen when we get there?"  
"You mean what's Stefan going to try to do to me?" He shrugged. "Probably the usual little song and dance routine he always does whenever it's sunk into his thick skull that my feelings for you might not be totally unrequited." At Elena's worried expression, he realized he needed to explain it a little better. "He'll yell, scream, throw a tantrum, try to beat the crap out of me…and then cry off in a corner, licking his wounds after I toss him across the room with one hand tied behind my back."  
"I never wanted this, you know," she told him sadly. "I didn't want to be the one to tear you guys apart."  
"You didn't," Damon said firmly. "Stefan did this all to himself; every time he lied to you, or kept the truth from you, it just proved how much he really didn't deserve you. It was kind of inevitable that in the end you'd pick the better, smarter, hotter brother."  
"Not to mention the one who's full of himself," she teased.  
Damon fluttered his eyelashes at her with a flirty smile on his face. "You love me anyway," he said, as if it was a matter of fact.  
"I do," she conceded, shaking her head and smiling to herself at the craziness of it all. She still couldn't believe how much had changed in twenty four hours. How she could go from denying that there was anything at all between them, to finally admitting the truth; that she'd fallen in love with Damon Salvatore. "God help me, but I really do."  
There was another moment of comfortable silence between them, but it was broken when Elena's eyes grew heavy and she let out a small yawn. Damon gazed at her lovingly, and gently put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to snuggle into his side.  
"Get some sleep, Elena," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "We'll be home before you know it."

**Author's Note:** Don't worry, dear readers, I'm still alive ;) I've just been incredibly busy these past several months. For those of you who weren't aware, I participated in a challenge on LiveJournal (Vampire Big Bang) in the summer, and that was my main focus for a very long time, as it actually had a deadline. That story is the one I posted back in October, Your Kiss is Like Fire, and if you haven't had the chance to read it yet, you should definitely fix that right now because it is by far my best work. I am actually quite proud of how it turned out, and though it gave me several headaches, and drove me half crazy, I would still do it all over again if I had to. It's seriously that good, or so I've been told by my friends!

Now, about the rest of my fics, I'm still working on those too, but my work schedule has been crazy, and due to the early hours that I have to be awake each morning, I mostly come home and just take a nap before my husband gets home from work. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to stay awake long enough to spend any real time with him :(

In addition to my home/work life, I've also been working hard at my latest project; a romance novel of my very own, complete with a compelling and seductive male lead and lots of steamy, sensual, delicious smut. The details are all on my LiveJournal, for those of you who are already jumping up and down with excitement. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have, or if you have suggestions on where a Canadian girl like me can get her work self-published on Amazon, feel free to PM me, or leave a comment in that entry. Also, I will be posting update statuses on my fics through my Twitter account, as it's one of the few sites that actually works on my phone when I'm at work or on my commute.

I think that's all the news I have for now. I'm going to go have dinner with my hubby and get to bed, but I'll be eagerly checking my phone/email for reviews tomorrow morning, so if you want to make me extra happy you can leave me and my musie some love. It really does make all the difference to me when I see how much my fics are appreciated, and some days I really need the reminder that I'm awesome; especially when it's a rainy, depressing day outside and work happens to get stressful on occasion too.

xoxo

Carly


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